


Breathe

by hykiwo



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Blood and Gore, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Sorry, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Shownu is just mentionned, Slow Burn, Smut, Violence, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 07:00:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12648519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hykiwo/pseuds/hykiwo
Summary: No one to wait for, no one to care for, that was Hoseok's motto until he met Kihyun after saving his brother's life.Is he gonna stay by his words, or let Kihyun get in his life ?





	1. No one to wait for, no one to care for

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone !  
> This is my first fic ever written in english and english is not my first language so I'm sorry if there's too many mistakes,,,  
> I would like to thank bisouyoonmin for the beta !!  
> Anyway, I had this idea in my head for quite some time now so I hope you'll like it ! :)

"Humans will always be your worst enemies, son. Remember that."  
His father's voice was resonating in his head, distant and so close at the same time, he could see his face and his serious expression. He could also feels his strong hand on his shoulder. The next thing he heard was the loud sound of feet running and people yelling then, the hand on his shoulder disappeared. And his father was gone. 

Hoseok woke up in a cold sweat, holding tightly on his gun. It took him a bunch of seconds for him to remember where he was... Dreams about his father were always putting Hoseok in a state of panic and anxiety-- even after all these years. Realising that he was safe in his room, the young man sighed and looked at the gun in his left hand... His father was right, humans are his worst enemies. Alive, or dead. 

Five years ago, the face of the world changed, in the span of two weeks, mankind was almost decimated. Everything started in Russia where samples of a unknown virus disappeared from a research center, but the Russian authorities kept everything secret-- or at least they tried to. Soon, cases of people going mad and killing others were reported in Moscow, nobody knew at that time that it was the beginning of the end. Apparently the virus was keeping the dead alive. The dead was rising and killing everything they could find as long as they could eat it.  
The international authorities tried to maintain the virus in Russia but it didn't work out. Soon after, the virus spread into Asia, reaching China and North Korea first. In South Korea the government used the army to fight the deads at the border with the North to give a little more time to the population to flee at the south of the country, but the army wasn't enough prepared and the virus spread into the country. The rest of the world had suffered the same destiny. 

When the rumors about the dead killing the living spread in South Korea, Hoseok thought it was a bad joke, "Zombies are only in movies man, they aren't real" he told his roommate while they were watching the news on the tv. He didn't know that two weeks later, he would have to shoot his roommate in the head in order to stay alive.  
Before the apocalypse, Hoseok was a college student majoring in international business, the oldest and the smartest of the two sons of the Shin family. Hoseok was popular in college, he was good looking, friendly and kind. Even though he was popular he didn’t have so many friends, hanging mostly with Hyunwoo which was his best friend and roommate at the time. Everyone was paying him respect, girls were taking pictures of him secretly and freshmen were admiring him. If he had to be honest, that reputation made him quite uncomfortable sometimes, not really liking to be at the center of attention all the time, but he was the son of the Director the the National University of Seoul, so he couldn't really do anything about that. 

Now... Hoseok was 26 and the only thing he was doing was trying to stay alive and pray he would still see the sunrise the next morning. Like most survivors, Hoseok had to do awful things to stay alive, he had the kill his best friend, saw his younger brother die in the hands of his step-mother, and had to kill many of the dead that once were his schoolmates. He hated it, taking people's lives, pulling the trigger... Even now he still threw up after killing someone. Some people were getting used to it but not Hoseok. He was working alone, not wanting to get attached to anyone and the risk of losing someone again. 

Today was a day like the others, he woke up after another nightmare, check his guns and counts how many ammos he have left, then he would go out of the room he was sheltered in and starts to search for supplies and ammos. Once a beautiful and noisy city, Seoul was now in ruins and the only sounds that can be heard was the sounds of the dead and the wind inside the abandoned buildings. Survivors were mostly living in little groups, or gangs, fighting each others to have more ammos, more water, more food and more medecine.. As an individual Hoseok was an easy prey and it already happened that a gang assaulted him to steal his supplies, he wasn't a super hero nor a the best fighter, he almost died, without weapons and food, but he managed to survive and was now more careful, avoiding the districts known to be occupied by gangs. He was now in the old district of Yongsan-gu trying to find a pharmacy that wasn't totally robbed, he needed gauze and disinfectant.  
After a few hours of walking around the empty streets of Seoul while avoiding the dead, he found what he needed and was quite happy about it, five years is a long time and supplies were becoming more and more rare. Heading out of the pharmacy, Hoseok stopped midway and frowned. He could hear someone running with the resonance of dead chasing them... Hoseok hid behind a wall and thought of what he should do but his flow of thought was shut when he heard gunshots. Everybody knows that that deads were sensitive to noise, shooting was a desperate act. 

"Shit..." Hoseok whispered before checking his gun and taking the security off. He was in danger now.

He took a look at what was happening down the street and saw a young man, maybe a little younger than him, running and shooting towards a little group of the dead that was chasing him. Hoseok tried to think fast and sighed loudly before going out of the pharmacy, his gun pointed at the deads.  
The young man saw him and his panicked expression was quickly replaced with confusion when Hoseok started to shoot the deads in order to help him. Both were now running side to side and Hoseok noticed that the other was limping, his right ankle was convexed, flexing out in the wrong direction. Once again Hoseok sighed and stopped, the other gave him a confused look once again.

"Continue, you're too slow, i'll try to give you some more time."  
"But..." the other said  
"Fucking go! We don't have all day, don't make me regret my act, I could've let you die. Now go!" Hoseok yelled sharply, giving a dark look to the younger.

The latter then nodded and started to run as fast as he could while Hoseok was fighting the dead off. He managed to kill a bunch of them before he took his dagger out and finished the rest of them. Hoseok, even if he wasn't the best fighter, was able to defend himself. He was even better at hand-to-hand combat than with a gun, so it wasn't that hard for him to get rid of the remainders. The thing he hated to most was the smell, putrid and pungent of bodies in state of decomposition. He could feel bile rising in his throat as his hands and clothes gets sticky with blood. When he killed the last one, Hoseok stepped backward before wiping his hands on his shirt with a disgusted expression, breathing loudly as he tried to rest a little... The kid was probably gone by now... At least Hoseok did something good today. But when he turned back to continue to explore the district, he found the young man from before limping towards him, nervously tugging at the sleeves of his shirt. Hoseok rolled his eyes before making his way to the young man and sighed once he was a few steps away from him.

"Why did you came back? I told you to run away."  
"I wanted to check if you were okay... And... To thank you for saving me today." the other answered, rubbing his hand on his neck nervously.  
At that, Hoseok didn't really know what to say but tried to give the other man a small smile.  
"I'm Changkyun by the way, and hm...?"  
"Wonho."  
Changkyun nodded, smiling slightly, satisfied by Wonho's answer. He sighed and tucked his hands in the pockets of his jeans.  
"Well I think I'll get going... Thank you."

Changkyun turned his back to Hoseok and started to walk-- if Hoseok could even call that walking... Hoseok watched him before sighing again.

"Hey, wait a minute."

Changkyun stopped to look at him with a brow raised. Hoseok made his way toward him and pointed at the gun tucked in Changkyun's belt.

"I don't think you have many ammos left and your ankle looks really bad, also the sun is low, you won't make it once it's dark outside, let me go with you until you reach your shelter and then I'll leave." Hoseok explained.

Changkyun gave him a look, then looked at his ankle before biting his lower lip, obviously debating if it were a good idea or not to let the other accompany him. Hoseok forced a smile on his face as he tilted his head.

"If I had the intention to kill you I would've done it already, trust me... Don't be stupid."

Changkyun pouted, closed his eyes before nodding... He knew that the other was right... Even tho the dead weren't in a dormant state during the day, once the sun disappears, they were more aggressive..  
Hoseok smiled for real this time and patted Changkyun’s back lightly before they both started walking across the deadly quiet streets of Seoul. It was silent at first, both paying attention to their surrounding at the sun was going down slowly but then Hoseok noticed that Changkyun was whining and wincing more as the time passes, he hesitated to help the other man to walk until he heard a loud crack and saw Changkyun falling on his knees next to him, growling in pain. Hoseok kneeled next to him and examined his ankle, it was swollen and definitely fractured... Hoseok rubbed his face with his hand before showing his back to Changkyun.

"Come here, I'll carry you."

Changkyun gave up on his pride and crawled on Hoseok's back, the other lifting him and placing his hands under his thighs to steady him.

"I didn't know I'll have to wait the apocalypse for someone to give me a piggyback ride." Changkyun joked softly and it made Hoseok laughs lightly, shaking his head. 

They continued their way, lucky to not cross path with the dead as the night took place, letting the darkness envelops them. An hour passed when Changkyun was getting more precise with his directions and they soon arrived at an old garage. He let Changkyun get off his back and helped him until they reached the garage door. The younger knocked three times, paused, then knocked two times and the door opened almost immediately. A man was at the door, he has slightly smaller than Changkyun-- Hoseok noticed-- and he was sending the latter a death glare before he noticed Hoseok and pointed his gun at him. If Hoseok stayed unimpressed, Changkyun waved his hands nervously, putting himself between the gun and Hoseok.

"Woah, woah, woah hyung calm down. He helped me to get there, I know I'm late, I had... Problems... Okay? Oh my god Hyung put the fucking gun down now." Changkyun whined, sending a pleading look to the smaller one. 

Hoseok didn't moved, watching the scene with a blank expression, he made eyes contact with the one that Changkyun referred as his hyung, and the latter sighed sharply before putting his gun down and looking at Changkyun. 

"You were supposed to came back two hours ago, I almost sent Jooheon and some other guys to find you. Who's that ?" 

Changkyun's shoulders relaxed once his hyung put the gun down and he smiled at him before smiling at Hoseok nervously.

"This is Wonho, he helped me to run away from a bunch of deads, I broke my ankle while running so he helped to get home since it was sunset. Wonho, this is my brother, Kihyun."

Hoseok bowed his head lightly, not breaking his eyes contact with the denomed Kihyun who was still sending daggers with his eyes. 

"Get inside. Jooheon, take a look at his ankle." Kihyun said and another man showed up, helping Changkyun to get inside the garage.  
Jooheon stopped and turned around with a frown on his face.

"Ya hyung, you're not gonna let the guy out. He helped Changkyun, if he stays outside he's gonna get killed." he said as he sent a beautiful dimpled smile to Hoseok. 

Hoseok eyes were wide as he shook his head.  
"It's okay I'm gonna go no--"  
"Stop talking and get inside, I don't want the dead to come here because of the noises." Kihyun said, motioning to Hoseok to get inside with his gun still in hand. 

Hoseok wasn't a big fan of the idea, he didn't liked to be surrounded by too many people, too many strangers... But he didn't feel like he had the choice anyway, so Hoseok got in with Kihyun still glaring at him. When he got in he discovered that Changkyun was the member of a small group of survivors, eight survivors to be exact and Kihyun seemed to be the leader of that group. They all looked at Hoseok carefully as a man named Minhyuk told him to sat down with them, a big smile on his face.

"I'm Minhyuk, right arm of this bossy hamster right there. Thank you for bringing Kyun back, that kid is a mess but we all like him a lot." Minhyuk laughed before getting his head slapped by Kihyun who was muttering things about not calling him a bossy hamster. 

Hoseok smiled at that and laughed quietly, turning his attention where Changkyun was being treated, the latter was chatting with a young girl, caressing her cheek with pure affection. Hoseok later heard that the girl was named Luda and was Changkyun's girlfriend. He found it cute, how some people were still able to fall in love in a devastated world like theirs. Hoseok tried to not be the center of the attention the most he can by sitting by himself in a corner, not wanting to disrupt the little group.  
At some point, Minhyuk came and sat besides him, always smiling, he was looking like an angel with his bright blond hair.

"So, Mr Savior, tell me more about you, because the boss is getting nervous." Minhyuk said as he gestured in the direction of where kihyun was sitting with his head. Kihyun was still sending looks at Hoseok, his left leg juttering nervously.  
"There's not that much to say, but if it's what worries your ‘boss,’ I don't want anything for saving Changkyun, I'm not that kind of person."  
Minhyuk hummed, obviously satisfied with Hoseok's answer.  
"Don't you have a group? They must be worried."  
"I stay alone. No one is waiting for me." Hoseok said simply and Minhyuk's expression shifted from his usual bright smile to a pained pout. Hoseok noticed it and smiled and him "It's okay, I prefer to be alone, no one to wait for, no one to care for." he explained, pointing at Changkyun with a smile.  
"Hmm I see, must be lonely though..." Minhyuk exhaled, looking at Changkyun sleeping on his mattress with Luda in his arms. 

They stayed silents for a moment, both looking at the other members of the group, until Kihyun crossed the room to crouch next to Minhyuk. 

"Min, you can take your shift." Kihyun said calmly, letting Minhyuk stand up and go before he sat next to Wonho. "I don't trust you."  
"I could tell." Hoseok answered , turning his gaze to look at Kihyun. He took his time to memorize Kihyun's traits... Pointy nose, sharp jawline, pretty eyes, dark hair tucked under a grey beanie.. He was quite attractive if you forget his attitude.  
Kihyun snorted and rolled his eyes.  
"But even if I don't trust you, thank you for bringing Changkyun here, alive." he said calmly.  
Hoseok nodded, smiling at Kihyun even if the other stayed unexpressive.  
"You can stay the night and leave tomorrow morning, you can take the mattress right there, I'll stay up to take Changkyun's shift anyway." Kihyun said and cleared is throat, getting up again and staring down at Hoseok before leaving to another room. 

Hoseok sighed, resting his head against the wall. talking and spending time with other survivors wasn't that bad after all.  
Hoseok finally got up quietly and made his way towards the mattress Kihyun showed him before, just next to Changkyun's one. He let himself lie down and looked at the ceiling for quite some time, and when he was about to close his eyes, he heard Changkyun whispering.

"Kihyun is an ass with strangers, but he'll end up liking you i'm sure of it." the younger said, his eyes closed and a smile on his face. 

Hoseok turned his face to look at the younger, smiling lightly. Yes, he's sure that if he stayed, he'll end up being friend with the members of that group, but he had to stay alone.

No one to wait for, no one to care for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, comments and kudos are welcomed and also criticism, good or bad, I want to improve so don't hesitate !  
> I'll try to upload the next chapters as fast as I can ;;


	2. Blue Flare

When Hoseok's eyes shat open it was still dark outside, heart pounding against his chest, the young man sighed.. Another nightmare, they were more and more frequent these days, he was starting to feel tired..  
Everyone in the room was still sleeping, Changkyun snoring lightly besides him, mouth open and hair mussed hair. The older smiled at how cute Changkyun was and sited on the mattress, getting up quietly, he won't be able to fall back asleep anyway so it was the perfect occasion to leave the little group. Hoseok was doing an amazing job until he got caught by Minhyuk on his way out.  
The latter was still standing guard, barricaded behind some wooden board at the front door, but judging by his expression, Minhyuk just fell asleep without realising it, shotgun in hands.  
The blonde motioned for Hoseok to sit beside him and Hoseok had to bit interior of his cheek before doing as he was told. Minhyuk's bright smile was back on his lips and he patted Hoseok's lap.

"You'll keep me company until the end of my shift, that's the price for trying to leave without saying goodbye." he said jokingly and Hoseok snorted.  
Hoseok didn't doubt that before everything changed, Minhyuk must've been a social butterfly, he was so far the more friendly person he met in five years.  
"You know about Kihyun.. " Minhyuk started softly, looking right in front of him " He's really grumpy and angry all the time but he's a nice guy, we were in college together before...that, and he was always careful about who he was befriending. Now it's worse, but he just want to protect everyone, I don't know why he thinks he's responsible of everyone here, except for Kyun, since they're brothers.. " he smiled " When I think about it it's the first time he let a stranger enter the garage, you're a vip."  
Minhyuk then laughed and Hoseok just smiled. He didn't mind Kihyun's behaviour, he was himself really careful.  
"It's okay I don't really care you know, " Hoseok started " Everyone cope with the situation like they can, and it's quite good to see that some of us hadn't completely lose their mind already. If I had someone to protect I would probably do the same."  
Minhyuk hummed, approving Hoseok's word.

Leaning against the door, Kihyun heard the whole conversation and saying that he was embarrassed was an understatement. Why does Minhyuk always feels the need to talk about him.. Especially with a guy they don't know. He didn't liked the idea of people knowing his weaknesses and he hated the fact that Minhyuk knows so much about him.. When the two other remained silent, he cleared his throat to show them that he was here, his expression cold as always.

"You can go rest, I'll take over from now." He said and Minhyuk got up with a smile, mumbling a playful "Sir yes sir" before heading back into the garage .  
Both Kihyun and Hoseok looked at him until he disappeared and then they made eyes contact. Kihyun's judging and suspicious gaze met Hoseok's calm one for a bunch of seconds until the smaller moved to take Minhyuk's place without a word.  
Hoseok exhaled loudly before getting up slowly, stretching his arms above his head, ready to go. He was quite surprised when Kihyun asked him to wait before he started to search for something in his bag to hand it to Hoseok.  
"A flare ?" he asked, and Kihyun nodded.  
"I know you don't want anything in return but I don't like the feeling of owning something to someone so.. We all have this with us when we go out, found it in a military base. They're going quite high so we can spot them easily. Take that one, if for whatever reasons you need urgent help, just activate it and if we see it, I'll send some guys but.. I don't guarantee anything." Kihyun explained, almost getting shy at the end, Hoseok find it cute, so he took the flare and tucked it in his satchel.  
"Thank you. I hope I won't need to use it."  
"Me neither." Kihyun answered and they both smiled lightly. Hoseok definitely left the little group after that, it was sunrise already.

\---------------------------------------------------------- • -------------------------------------------------------------

A few days passed and Hoseok was back to something close to a routine, he was waking up abruptly, shaken up by another nightmare, then he'll try to organise his supplies, and he would go out to find more. Of course, he had encounters with some deads, but nothing really changed. At least until today.  
He was peacefully cleaning his guns when he heard rushed noises from the street, something different from the usual grunting of the deads wandering aimlessly. Hoseok was staying in an abandoned apartment on the third floor to have a good overview of the street and also to be able to get in there quickly. Hoseok stopped what he was doing and approached the window carefully, and it's when he saw it.  
"A blue flare" he whispered for himself before frowning.  
He recognised the blue flare that Kihyun gave him a few days ago, the one they used when they were in danger. Hoseok grabbed the rifle he always had near his window and kneeled in front of it, watching what was happening through the lens of his weapon.

Kihyun was running away, flare in hands, he was with a guy he remembered as Jooheon, the latter holding tightly something in his arm like his life was depending on it - and it was probably the case -. After them was a group of around ten people, guns in hands, ready to shoot. Hoseok had to think, quick, and well.. Deads were gathering and heading toward Kihyun and Jooheon, it was a dead end. Biting his bottom lip, Hoseok took off the security of his rifle and exhaled, closing his eyes for a second before aiming the group chasing Kihyun and Jooheon with his rifle.  
He waited for Kihyun and Jooheon to get close to his building before shooting the first guy in the head.

"Kihyun, right here, get in, 3rd floor, now !!" He yelled as loud as he could, aiming for his next victim.

Confusion and panic was obvious on Kihyun's face, as well as Jooheon's, Kihyun lifted his head and searched for the voice, he then saw the rifle, and got a glimpse of Hoseok's face behind it. He didn't thought twice and sprinted inside the building, nearly getting shot by one of his assailants. Jooheon followed him, panting loudly and still holding on whatever was in his arms.  
Hoseok did his best to at least hurt the members of the group, the deads would do the rest of the job anyway.. At this thought, he felt a knot in his stomach and pursed his lips as he continued to shoot bullets and eventually, he managed to get rid of all them, some of them were dead, other were now trying to escape the deads who were drawn by the smell of blood.  
Putting his rifle on the floor he rushed towards the door and opened it carefully just to see Kihyun and Jooheon reaching his floor.  
He motioned them to get inside and once it was done, closed the door and locked it, blocking it with a big wooden board. For a moment, the only sound that was heard was the heavy panting of Kihyun and Jooheon, but a high pitched scream coming for the street forced all the three of them to hold their breath..  
Hoseok approached the window again and become white when he saw someone he wounded being eaten alive by two dead, blood spurting all over him, limbs getting detached from his body and flesh being torn away... Hoseok closed his eyes again, shook his head and then turned to Kihyun and Jooheon.

"How did you knew it was us..?" Jooheon asked, face still sweaty from running so much.  
"The flare. " Hoseok said, pointing at the now empty one, still in Kihyun's hand.  
Kihyun sighed, relieved, and crouched, dropping the flare on the floor before running his hands in his hair.  
"Thank you." He breathed  
Hoseok shook his head once again and sat on one of the chairs by a small table, Jooheon and Kihyun soon doing the same.  
"I assume that it's the reason they were chasing you." Hoseok said, pointing at what was in Jooheon's arm, and from what he could see, it's was an old type of radio.  
Jooheon frowned and Kihyun sent Hoseok a defending look, Hoseok sighed before waving a hand defensively.  
"I won't take it, relax. But since I saved you both I think i have the right to know."

Kihyun pursed his lips, before breathing loudly.

"Right" he said sharply " we stole it from them, they were the only group we know who had that kind of radio and we need it. Happy ?"  
Hoseok tilted his head at Kihyun's answer frowning at his cold tone.. Feeling the tension between the two, Jooheon shifted on his seat before sighing.  
"We heard that some survivors were still communicating thanks to these kind of radios.. and.." He stopped, looking at Kihyun who was sending him a warning look, but he didn't seemed impressed at all and looked at Hoseok again. " We also heard rumours about... A cure."

At that Hoseok couldn't help but to laugh lightly, massaging his temple.

"What's so funny ?" Kihyun asked dryly, and Hoseok shook his head.  
"Sorry, but in five years i can't count the number of time of when people were talking about a cure.. "  
"It serious this time" Jooheon said seriously but Hoseok smiled sadly.  
"Like it was the previous times.. Really I ca--.."  
"So what ?!" Kihyun spat, his traits tenses, clenching his fists " Because it didn't work the previous time doesn't mean that it's not gonna work this time."  
The fact that Kihyun could be so naive let Hoseok speechless for a bunch of second, trying to form an answer in his head..  
" No but I mean let's be honest we're screwed."

At that Kihyun got on his feet and grabbed Hoseok by the collar of his shirt, and Hoseok could feel his hand shaking with anger.  
" Yeah, we're all going to die, that's how life works but I won't wait for my day to come without trying to find a solution. Are you ?" He asked, his piercing black eyes boring into Hoseok's soul with all their intensity. " Are you going to wait calmly to be eaten like the guys you killed before ? Or do you want to become like one of those things ? Tell me Wonho, if that's even your real name, since there's NOTHING to do, what would you prefer ?"  
Kihyun's words were like burning acid and Hoseok was sure he heard Jooheon telling the latter to calm down.. But Hoseok remained speechless and Kihyun smiled, a dark smile, obviously happy of what he'd just done.

It is at that one moment that Hoseok realised that he wasn't living... He wasn't alive in any ways.. He spent most of his time in that apartment, doing nothing. He won't be able to live like that forever and like Kihyun said, would probably end up being one of those creatures and the thought of it was unbearable. He also understood why Kihyun was trying to stay optimistic... Kihyun had everything to lose, he still had people he loved and wanted to protect, while Hoseok had nothing.. The oldest already gave up a long time ago while Kihyun still had a small flame of hope burning in his chest. Hoseok got hit by realisation and frowned when Kihyun let go of his collar, stepping backwards.  
"If you don't want to do anything and stay in your cute little apartment until the end, then do it, but don't you dare to laugh at me because I'm trying to change things, because if one of us should be ashamed, it certainly won't be me. " Kihyun said, voice still sharp.  
There was a long moment of silence between the three of them, Hoseok still in deep thought.. It was when Kihyun decided that he and Jooheon would now go that Hoseok moved.

"Wait. " He said and the two other stopped, turning around to look at him. " Let me help you. " he added with a serious tone. " I'll help you to find whatever that cure is. "  
Kihyun looked at him seriously and Jooheon couldn't hide the little smile that took place on his face.. That was why Kihyun was their leader, he was able to give them strength, to give them hope, to change their mind... He was like a glue, keeping everyone together. The smaller ran his hand in the dark hair and Hoseok noticed a thin scar on his forearm..  
" I guess that Changkyun is gonna be happy to see you coming back. Take your stuffs." Kihyun said, his voice a little softer than before and Hoseok didn't noticed at first, but Kihyun was smiling slightly, and Hoseok thought he was definitely more attractive when he was smiling and he didn't know it yet, but later, he would do anything to see Kihyun's smile more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello ! So I'm back with the second chapter sooner than I excepted but i really felt inspired haha,,,  
> Thanks for the kudos and the coments, I'm really happy and I'll try to write betters chapters in the future!  
> Again, thanks to bisouyoonmin for helping me and supporting me, ily !! ( please go take a look at her works !)  
> Comments and kudos are as always appreciated ! :)


	3. Hoseok

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello !  
> Here's the third chapter, I hope you'll like it ! I won't be able to update until the end of the week since I have mid-terms, haha.. But the next chapter is ready, and it'll get a bit more angsty so, yep, please anticipate it !  
> As always, comments and kudos are welcomed, don't hesitate to tell me what you think !

With the help of Kihyun and Jooheon, Hoseok gathered all the things that might be useful and then left the little apartment for good. The three of them remained silent during the way back to the garage. Hoseok didn't know if it was a good idea, but his pride was telling him to prove Kihyun that he was wrong.  
They arrived at the garage and were welcomed by Changkyun who was standing guard. The latter smiled widely when he noticed Hoseok's presence and got up, using pair of visibly homemade crutches to be steady.

"Wonho Hyung !" he exclaimed happily " what are you doing here ? "  
"He's joining us." Kihyun said bluntly, opening the main for everyone to get inside.  
"He helped us to get the radio" Jooheon added, showing the radio to the younger with a dimpled smile.  
Hoseok smiled lightly and shrugged.  
"Kihyun managed to... Convince me to join you guys." he said while looking at Kihyun and the latter snorted before motioning to everyone to get inside.  
Changkyun made a "Ooooh" of approbation before getting inside, smiling widely at Hoseok and then at his brother who was already organising the stuff they brought back from Hoseok's place.  
When the older noticed Changkyun's smile, he raised a brow and stopped what he was doing, crossing his arms on his chest.  
"What ? " he blurted out, kind of irritated by the grin on his younger brother's face.  
"Nothing hyung, nothing." Changkyun chanted before chuckling and leaving his brother alone, Kihyun rolled his eyes and sighed, watching his brother for a bunch of seconds before continuing was he was doing.

Hoseok was left with Jooheon who was obviously happy to show the place to the newcomer, he also explained to Hoseok how the life in the group worked, the shifts to stand guard in front of the main door, the authorised amount of food and water per person for a day, how to go outside... The group had a well organised way to live, everyone had their own tasks for the day and everyone was doing it without complaining. "Because they have a goal" Hoseok thought as he smiled to Jooheon.

"So yeah, that's all.. We don't have enough mattresses so... Just lie on one of them when there's nobody.." Jooheon said while laughing, his dimples showing once again. He then sat down and Hoseok followed him silently.  
"Now for the cure.." he started, taking a small notebook of his trousers pocket " We heard thought our old radio, people talking about Daejeon's researches center, apparently a bunch of scientists managed to make experiments on the deads and they got something, but they were infected before they could find the cure but... We have to try even if not true. " he said, biting his lower lip as he made eyes contact with Hoseok and Hoseok nodded.  
Daejeon was more at the south of Seoul, and since the south of the country managed to resist the infection longer than the north.. It wasn't impossible that the researches about the virus were more developed there..  
"If you guys are willing to try..." Hoseok breathed, rubbing his hand on his neck " I'll follow. Even tho I won't lie, I'm still sceptical.." he added, looking at Jooheon who nodded.  
"I understand, and it's okay, you're not the only one here to doubt about the accuracy of those information. But we have to try, and I trust Kihyun enough to follow him to Daejeon. Him and Minhyuk were majoring in biology before all that.. I trust them. "  
Hoseok smiled at those words and he patted Jooheon's shoulder lightly.  
"Then tell me what I can do to help."  
\------------------------------------------------------------ • -----------------------------------------------------------

The plan was to wait if they could grab more information with the radio they brought back today since the last one was broken, and then, head to the south the next day at dawn. Hoseok helped everyone to pack the stuff they needed, he met Hyungwon, a tall and lean guy, relatively quiet but friendly. He also met Hyungwon's cousin, Seola, a pretty girl with a pretty smile and long dark hair, he learned that the two were at a café when everything collapsed and they survived on their own for two years before meeting Kihyun and his group. He talked to Luda, Changkyun's girlfriend, and was shocked by how lively the young woman was, her smile never leaving her face, she thanked him for saving Changkyun, and Hoseok said with a smile that it was nothing.  
At the end of the day most of things they had to do were done, and Jooheon heard the glimpse of a conversation about Daejeon again.. It was decided, they were leaving the next day.  
Everyone gathered around a bunch of half melted candles once it was dark outside and Minhyuk -who got back from trying to find more water an hour before- distributed emergency rations to everyone, sending a knowing smile to Hoseok as he settled down next to Jooheon, giving the latter a small kiss on his cheek.  
The evening was pleasant, everyone was talking about nothing, Jooheon and Minhyuk making jokes from time to time to loosen up the atmosphere a little bit. Kihyun was mostly silent but he laughed at Minhyuk's jokes, teeth showing and Hoseok noticed that the younger had small dimples too. Changkyun was sitting against a wall, Luda's head on his lap as he stroked her hair lovingly. It was a long time since Hoseok last felt so... Alive. 

The moon was now high in the sky and most of them fell asleep, Jooheon went out to stand guard, and Minhyuk was cleaning his weapons.  
Hoseok, him, was laying on the same mattress as he was the last time, he was laying on his side, hands under his head and eyes closed, but he wasn't sleeping. Hoseok was thinking, about how he wasted his life for the past five years, how he could've searched for a way to change things like Kihyun does... And somehow, he hated Kihyun for causing so much trouble in his head. Kihyun was laying next to him and didn't moved for quite some time, but then he turned around and his head found it's place in the crook on Hoseok's neck, so close that Hoseok could feel the younger breathing softly against his skin. Hoseok turned around carefully to not wake him up and when he was facing him, Hoseok opened his eyes softly, looking at Kihyun's sleeping face. Kihyun's features were so soft and relaxed that Hoseok wondered if it was the same person for a minutes.. Hands curled next to his face, Kihyun looked like a child, his mouth slightly open as he breathed softly, his dark hair fanning prettily over his forehead. Hoseok couldn't help but smile.. Kihyun, the cold and rude Kihyun, was a cuddly sleeper. Hoseok let the younger sleep close to him, enjoying the forgotten warmth of another body next to his. For the first night in a long time, Hoseok didn't had nightmares.

The next morning, Minhyuk woke him up with a smile before going back to a sleepy Jooheon, jumping on him with a laugh, kissing his pouty lips as he tried to woke the other up. Hoseok sat on the mattress and noticed that Kihyun was already up, checking his backpack one last time.  
An hour later, the group was ready to leave and they started their long journey toward Daejeon. They first had to cross the whole city of Seoul, all of them staying mute in what seemed like a common feeling of nostalgia, they were saying goodbye to their birthplace, for now. They then joined what was before one of the highway the most borrowed of the country, a map in Kihyun's hands. They kept Changkyun at the center of their group in order to protect him if they had to be attacked. Kihyun was at the front with Hyungwon, Seola and Hoseok at the side, Luda staying with Changkyun in the middle as Minhyuk and Jooheon were bringing up to rear.  
Everything went well for the firsts hours, they made shorts breaks from time to time, in order to drink or just rest a little.. Changkyun's arms were painful, but he insisted that he was okay.  
It was in the middle of the afternoon when they crossed path with crowd of deads, they struggled to get rid of them and along the fight, Hyungwon and Seola got hurt, but thankfully, neither of them were infected. Jooheon, who was like the doctor of the group, immediately treated their injuries. When it was Hyungwon's turn, the latter suddenly got up and stepped backward, escaping Jooheon's hands. Jooheon sent him a confused look and then frowned when he noticed that Hyungwon's hands were shaking and... That he was crying.

"Hey bro.. What's wrong..." Jooheon tried soflty, this brought the attention of the rest of them and they were now all looking at Hyungwon.  
Hyungwon sniffed, looking at the concrete floor under his feet as he clenched his fists.  
"I... I can't do it anymore... I'm tired of... Of living like that... " he started, his voice tight as he tried to let a sob die in his throat " These things... I can't see them anymore, they scare me... More and more every day. I.. Can't do it anymore I'm sorry.." he continued and Kihyun tried to approach him carefully but Hyungwon stepped backward once again, but this time, he had his gun in his hand and the barrel of his gun against his temple.  
Seola screamed and Minhyuk had to restrain her, putting a hand on her mouth with a pained look.. The situation was already tense, no need to add some deads.. Everyone went silent and Kihyun's eyes were wide open, he was enable to move, speechless.  
"There's no way out Kihyun... We're all gonna die before we reach Daejeon anyway... We don't even know if that... If that cure is real..." Hyungwon sobbed, breaking the silence around them.  
It's at that moment that Hoseok stepped in, pushing Kihyun lightly as he made his way toward Hyungwon.  
"I agree with you. We don't know if that cure is real or not, those things are scary, for me too, we're all scared Hyungwon. But you know what is more scarring than those creatures ? "  
Hyungwon shaked his head, looking up at Hoseok with teary eyes.

"Death." Hoseok answered softly. "Death is even more scary than those things for me. Don't you think ?"  
Hoseok paused, still careful with his word as he was approaching Hyungwon slowly. " We're all dead scared Hyungwon, all of us, we're all tired of that world because it's dangerous, we're surrounded by death and despair and heck, that's not what we planned when we were kids. If I had a watch that was allowing me to time travel, I would go back in time, to enjoy what was offered to me at that time. " he was now around three feet away from the taller and looked at the gun in the other's shaky hand " Until yesterday I was living like that, thinking about to past, of what I could've done, what I missed and what I miss... But now.. Don't you think that we have to think about the future ? We may have the opportunity to change things, to get rid of those things.. Don't give up now. "

Hyungwon was looking at Hoseok, never ending tears rolling down his reddened cheeks.. Hoseok tried to reach out for Hyungwon's gun and the latter didn't moved, obviously in deep thoughts. Hoseok finally took the gun in his head, still looking at Hyungwon.  
Hyungwon gave up, letting Hoseok taking the gun away from him as he fell on his knees. Minhyuk released Seola who stumbled towards her cousin, hugging him tightly as he was crying apologies. The others breathed and Kihyun remained speechless.. Incredulous. Jooheon sighed and patted Hoseok back, forcing a smile on his lips.

"Thanks Wonho..."  
"Hoseok."  
Jooheon looked at him, a brow raised and Wonho sighed, closing his eyes.  
"My real name is Hoseok." his voice was shaking.  
He didn't saw it, but Kihyun was now smiling a little behind him, "Sept by step.." he thought "Step by step..."

After that incident, they let Hyungwon come back to his senses before they resume walking, they had to find a shelter for the night.  
It was Changkyun who spotted the bus in the first place, and after that Minhyuk and Kihyun made sure that it was safe, they all got in the bus to spend the night. They were all tired and because of what happened to Hyungwon, the atmosphere was gloomy.. But tonight Minhyuk and Jooheon were too exhausted to lighten the mood, and they fell asleep in each other's arm quickly. Hoseok was staying at the back of the bus, alone, he needed time to think, he needed to believe his own words.. But Changkyun sat beside him with a little smile on his face.

"So... I'll have to call you Hoseok hyung now right ?" he joked lightly but Hoseok stayed silent. The younger cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed " That's not that important.. And... It's not what I wanted to tell you anyway so.. hm.. Just thank you, for joining us, for saving me, saving Hyungwon.. You had the right words.. Hyungwon is a good friend but I don't think I would've had the good words to save him.. So.. Really... Thank you.. "  
Changkyun's deep voice was like a breathe at the end of his speech and Hoseok finally looked at him, forcing a smile on his face.  
" It's okay Kyun.." Hoseok paused like he was trying to form a coherent answer and then sighed, closing his eyes " I just... understand how Hyungwon feel, but I couldn't let him... die like that."  
Changkyun nodded and patted the older arm with an honest smile " I'm glad you joined us hyung, and I think it's the same for the guys, even Kihyun hyung, he don't really know how to deal with these kind of situations.." And Hoseok remembered how helpless Kihyun seemed in front of Hyungwon..

Changkyun smiled at him again before going back to his seat next to a already sleeping Luda and Hoseok also felt exhausted, so he tried to find a comfortable position and rested his head against the window before closing his eyes slowly. He fell asleep almost instantly.  
This time, he neither heard nor noticed that Kihyun was carefully sitting next to him... The latter looked at him for a minute, observing Hoseok's plump lips and pale skin. He then shifted so he was leaning against Hoseok shoulder, resting his head on it.. "He won't know I was here... I'll wake up before him anyway" Kihyun thought, closing his eyes.. He liked Hoseok's warmth. He, who was feeling cold all the time, he, who was always the one comforting the others.. Today, he was the one feeling comforted, comforted by Hoseok's warmth and light snoring.. And it felt good. It felt like home.


	4. Brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi !  
> Here's the fourth chapter, I'm putting a trigger warning for references of past child abuse on that one so please, if you feel triggered by it, don't read it..

The next morning, Kihyun woke up before everyone, it was sunset and the air was chilly, but Hoseok was still asleep next to him, keeping him warm. The smaller one got up slowly, trying his best to not wake up the other. Kihyun then got out of the bus quietly, making sure that everyone was here. Once he was out, he let the wind brushes his face lightly and shivered, eyes closed. He always needed some time to be alone, to think about what he was doing, the responsibilities, the risks... So he always woke up before the others to have a little time to himself.  
Kihyun was stubborn, but it didn't meant that he wasn't doubting sometimes.. What Hyungwon said the day before was true, they had no idea if that rumour was true or not, they didn't know if that cure was real, if the scientists had the time to do anything... Everything was blurry and unclear.. What if he was wrong ? The young man sighed before crouching down, running his hands in his dark hair..

"Kihyun ah ?"  
Kihyun turned his head to look at Minhyuk who was standing at the door of the bus, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

"Hyung, you're up early" Kihyun said, standing up as he faked a smile, but Minhyuk, as sleepy as he was, knew his best friend better than anyone else and noticed that something was wrong.  
“What’s wrong ?” he asked, soflty, but Kihyun just shook his head, keeping his smile.  
“I’m fine” Kihyun answered, trying to be as persuasive as he could.  
"You're doubting aren't you ?" he said, voice low as he got out of the bus to stand beside Kihyun.  
The latter lost his fake smile immediately and looked away from Minhyuk.  
"Yea… What if we're wrong hyung, what if there's no cure, what if we can't do anything.."  
"At least we tried ?" Minhyuk tried, putting his hand on Kihyun's shoulder affectively.  
"We don't know what's down there, we could..die. And I'm the one who had the idea.."

"Kihyun listen to me." Minhyuk said seriously, turning Kihyun around so he was now facing him. "You're not responsible of what could happen there, you didn't forced anyone to follow you, we all had the choice to stay or to come with you. They know it's dangerous, they know what the risks are, but it's their choice, our choice, so stop thinking that you'll be the one responsible if something happens okay ?"  
Minhyuk was smiling softly at his best friend, massaging his shoulder. Even though Kihyun knew that Minhyuk was right, he couldn't erase the knot in his stomach at the idea that some of them might die.  
"Stop torturing yourself Ki' and think about what's important, like.... Finding that fucking cure." Minhyuk added, pushing Kihyun lightly with a chuckle before going back into the bus to wake the other up. Kihyun smiled and nodded, he had to come back to his senses, quickly.

Even if Minhyuk was childish and hyperactive, he was indispensable in Kihyun’s life, he was his best friend since high school, they entered college together and had the same hobbies… Minhyuk was always there when Kihyun was giving up, he always cheered him up, forced him to go out to drink coffee or go clubbing, and Kihyun was trying his best to help Minhyuk the same way… They were complementary, a pair, and even if Kihyun hated his best friend sometimes, he couldn’t imagine his life without him.

\-------------------------------------------------------------- • ---------------------------------------------------------

The little group was back on the road, walking quietly, passing through the corpses of now abandoned cars. Sometimes they would see some deads, either walking, crawling aimlessly or still stuck in their car, grunting and scratching their rotten nails against the dusty windows. Hyungwon looked like he was feeling better, but Changkyun looked tired, walking for so long with crutches was exhausting, Jooheon and Hoseok offered to carry him, but he refused, always saying that he was fine..  
Kihyun --always leading the group, sent him concerned looks from time to time and Hoseok who was now walking beside him noticed it.

"He will be fine. " He said with a smile and Kihyun side-eyed him before sighing.  
"He's so stubborn I can't believe... At next stop I'll hide his crutches so he have to other choice than to let Jooheon carry him I swear to god..." Kihyun sighed exasperatedly and Hoseok laughed at that, earning a "What ?" from the other, eyebrow raised.

"Well at least, we know why you're brothers because, don't get me wrong, but you are as stubborn, if not more." Hoseok said calmly, sending a warm smile to Kihyun..  
As the day passed, Hoseok was feeling more and more comfortable with Kihyun, and it seemed reciprocate, even if Kihyun was still sending him suspicious looks from time to time.  
But the latter couldn't hide his smile at Hoseok's answer and shrugged.

"I guess so. But he had always been the most vulnerable of the two, I have to take care of him."  
Something in Kihyun's eyes shifted suddenly and Hoseok titled his head but he didn't said anything, letting Kihyun in his own world, in his own memories.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------- • ---------------------------------------------------------

_Kihyun was six years old when he first learned what real pain was. Compared to that, scratching his knees after falling of his bike was nothing. No, this time he was hurt, on the outside and on the inside. He didn't understood at first.. He knew his dad was angry quite often, but this time, he raised his hand and slapped Kihyun, the sound was loud and Kihyun's cheek was on fire as he stumbled against a wall. He didn't understand.. Why.. Why he slapped him while he just asked if he could go buy ice cream for him and his little brother.  
Tears started to fall down his cheeks, loud sobs escaping his dry lips, when his dad heard him, he got angrier, and Kihyun never cried ever again._

_Kihyun was nine and he was teaching Changkyun how to ride a bike in the park down near their family apartment. Changkyun was good, he was laughing happily as Kihyun was running after the bike, afraid to see the younger fall. When they got home before the sunset, the smell of alcohol was so strong that Kihyun had to pause at the front door, frowning. Their mom was still working, and he could feel Changkyun tensing behind him. What their dad hated to most was tears, loud sobs and desperate screaming and if Kihyun learned how to stop crying, Changkyun was still too young. Changkyun was terrorised by their dad, to the point that every night he would go to sleep to Kihyun's bed, because Kihyun was his strong big brother. Because Kihyun was his safety belt._

_Changkyun was seven when he broke a plate, trying to help their mom to empty the dishwasher. And when Kihyun came back from school that night, he immediately heard his mother crying, his father yelling... But he couldn't hear Changkyun. The older ran into their shared bedroom to find Changkyun, small and shaking Changkyun, hidden under the desk. Kihyun reached out for his brother hands and when the latter calmed down, Kihyun saw his bloody nose and his bruised cheek. Kihyun was ten and he couldn't take it anymore. That night, he revolted against his dad, and got to the ER with a broken leg for the first time. From that day, Kihyun silently promised himself that he won't let his dad touch Changkyun ever again._

_Kihyun stopped counting how many times he ended in the ER, and he stopped listening to the nurses saying that he was a really, really clumsy kid. But one day Changkyun was sick and Kihyun had to go to school, he was thirteen and while the other kids of his age were putting love letters into the girls lockers, Kihyun spent his days hoping he would die before going home. This day, he arrived in his maths class on the morning, cheek bruised and his bottom lip open, and when his teacher asked him what happened, Kihyun answered that he got in a fight with some kids at the park the day before._  
_Kihyun was a good student, excellent even, he was the number one in every subjects, some could say that he was a nerd, but the truth was that studying was his way to escape the reality.  
At the end of his maths class his teacher asked him to stay, Kihyun sat in front of the desk, looking at his feet.. He was so tired, so so tired, than when his teacher asked him to tell him the truth, that he could help him, Kihyun cried for the first time since he was six. Nobody never helped him, nor Changkyun, while everybody knew what was happening.. The walls of the family apartment were paper thin, and their neighbours weren't deaf.. But nobody never helped them._

_Everything went so fast after that. His teacher called someone, comforted Kihyun and when the police arrived at school, they took Kihyun home. When they arrived at the apartment, he heard Changkyun's screams from down the hallway and if he wasn't that terrorised, he would've took the time to knock on everyone's door to tell them to go to hell._  
_The officers ran to the door of the apartment, they opened it and they screamed. Kihyun reached the door, his whole body shaking and he saw Changkyun's body on the floor, unconscious._  
_That night, Kihyun stayed at the hospital and cried in his mom's arms for hours, waiting for Changkyun to wake up.  
His dad was put into jail and had the interdiction to approach them once he was out.. Kihyun, Changkyun and their mom moved into another apartment, and for the first time, Kihyun felt like he was living, he was free._

_The two siblings grew up well, Changkyun got into middle school and was writing a new love letter to another girl almost every week, and Kihyun was still the top student, ready to ener high school.  
Kihyun was nineteen when his mom remarried and he never forgot how happy his mother looked on the day of the wedding. Her new husband was a good man who took care of them until the end, until that day, two years later, when the deads started to kill the livings._

\------------------------------------------------------------ • -----------------------------------------------------------

Kihyun was brought back to reality when he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned his head to look at Hoseok who was smiling at him, pointing something with his other hand. Kihyun turned his gaze to look at what Hoseok was pointing at when he saw a sign above a highway exit, on that panel was written, along with other cities names..

"Daejeon" he whispered.

Hoseok nodded and he could heard the other making little noises of victory behind them.  
"We are getting closer, hopefully we'll be able to reach Daejeon tomorrow " Hoseok added, stretching his arms with a yawn.

Kihyun smiled widely, it was the first time Hoseok saw a real smile on Kihyun's face, and he couldn't ignore the fact that his heart skipped a beat at that moment.  
They all resumed walking for a few hours again before resting in what was before a gaz station. They were all happy, knowing that they were close to their goal lifted the mood considerably. Jooheon and Minhyuk were back at making jokes, Seola and Luda danced on old girl groups song, even Hyungwon laughed without being able to stop.  
Kihyun was sitting next to Hoseok, both laughing at Minhyuk's silliness, and when Hoseok passed his arm around Kihyun's shoulders when he noticed that the latter was shivering, Kihyun looked at him for a bunch of seconds before smiling, scooting closer to Hoseok.

That was why Hoseok decided to stay alone when everything started.. Because he was quickly getting attached to people, and when he loved, he loved hard... But it was too late, he was already falling for Kihyun, and when he looked at Changkyun who was sitting a bit further, holding hands with Luda, the younger was giving him a look, that look, the look that said "I know". Hoseok looked away and tried his best to ignore his blooming feelings and Kihyun’s body pressed to his side, shaking slightly when the latter was laughing. Kihyun’s laugh was sweet melody to Hoseok’s ears, and it’s at that moment that Hoseok decided to let go, to let aside the fear of being hurt, and to enjoy the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so we know Kihyun's and Changkyun's childhood story and I'm really sorry for the angst but.... It's just the beginning,,, sadly :')  
> Thank you for the kudos, I'm really moved since it's my first fic ever, and don't hesitate to comment !  
> I'll try to upload the next chapter soon, but I have some midterms coming up again soon so.. I'l do my best ! :)


	5. Breathe while you still can

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for mention of blood, violence and heavy angst,,,,

That night, Kihyun slept in Hoseok's arms without caring about the other noticing it or not. Hoseok's arms were around his waist, and Kihyun could feel the soft puffs of air on his nape as the older was breathing. That night, Kihyun fell asleep with the feeling that yes, everything was going to be okay. 

Everyone woke up early the next morning with the hope to reach Daejeon before the end of the day. The weather was windy and cloudy, and at some point, rain started pouring on the little group. Hoseok hated the rain, and the smell of it, he could smell the odour of the deads, of blood, of decomposition.. Everything that reminded him the world he was living in.  
The more they were close to Daejeon, the more they had encountered deads, Jooheon explained that since Daejeon was hosting refugees when the infection started spreading in Korea, they'll have to be more careful because there was a high possibility of crossing path with a lot of deads..  
When they arrived in Daejeon, everyone was soaked wet with rain and the wind has gotten stronger and colder. They all thought about giving up on the idea to reach the researches center today and just rest for the day, Changkyun was obviously tired, they all were tired, and maybe taking a break for a day would'nt be a bad idea.

"I think we should try to reach the center and rest once we're there.." Minhyuk said as they were walking, his blond bangs sticking messily on his forehead because of the rain. " Once we've found the right lab, there's only me and Kihyun who have to work, everyone else would be able to rest." he added, looking at Kihyun who scrunched his nose.  
" Hmm, I don't like the idea of wasting time... It already took us three days to get there.. " Changkyun added, and Kihyun saw the concerned look Luda sent him.. Changkyun was in pain, his arms were aching because of the clutches and the rain was heavy, making him even more tired.  
" I don't know..." Kihyun breathed as he seemed in deep thoughts.. "Maybe we should just find the center to take a look at it from afar and then find a place to sleep near it. I don't think it's a good idea to go straight into it today." he explained and Jooheon, Hoseok and Seola nodded at his words. Minhyuk agreed too, so they decided to do as Kihyun said.

Daejeon was a relatively big city, not as big as Seoul, but enough to be the 5th biggest city of the country before the apocalypse, so it took them quite some time before finding the researches center, but once they found it, they all remained silent, sharing a common feeling of satisfaction. _They did it_. Kihyun felt like a high feeling of accomplishment and couldn't hide his smile when Minhyuk patted him on the shoulder with an equally proud smile. They both started to laugh, and Hoseok --who was staying with Changkyun to help him walk, felt his heart skipping a beat. Kihyun was looking angelic despite rain dripping down his dark hair. He was like a fallen angel, looking ridiculously ethereal in a world of desolation. Kihyun was small yet so strong, he was the little flame of hope the world needed. Hoseok came back to his senses when he felt a pair of eyes on him and he blinked a few times before meeting Kihyun's gaze. The latter was smiling softly at him, nodding his head slowly in a silent "Thank you". Hoseok smiled back at him, thinking that he should be the one thanking Kihyun instead. 

Their moment of joy was suddenly disrupted when Hyungwon noticed another group coming their way, and Kihyun's expression instantly switched, the bright smile being replaced by furrowed brows. He slowly approached the other group, followed by Hyungwon and Hoseok.Spotting the leader of the other group wasn't really difficult, as there was a big man, slightly older than them, with a nasty grin on his lips walking ahead of the rest.

"Aaaaah, we're not the first arrived... That's so bad" the man said and Kihyun didn't liked the sarcasm in the other's voice. "Here I thought it would be easy." he added, and Hoseok rested his hand on the gun tucked in his belt.  
"There's no proofs we're the first one here." Kihyun answered calmly.  
" Oh I'm pretty sure you guys are. I don't think much people would believe in another rumour of a cure. But here we are." the other said with dramatic gestures. "What are we supposed to do ?" he added with a darker tone.  
Kihyun grinned at the other's words, scoffing lightly. By now the rest of the group were close behind him.  
" I would've said that we could try to find that cure together but..." Kihyun made a pause, looking at the other members of other group before looking at the leader again " I see that you guys are just waiting to slaughter us... So is it really necessary to ask ?" he finished.  
Hoseok knew at that moment that the situation was bad, the other group seemed more armed and also superior in numbers.. So he tried to think quickly, of a way out, of a way to be the less impacted possible.. But as he was thinking, Hoseok saw Jooheon pointing his gun in the direction of their adversaries, soon followed by the rest of the group, and Hoseok noticed that the supposed leader was now aiming his gun at Kihyun..  
"Sadly I think you're right, little one. You see... We're more than you guys are.. I think... We have the priority here. " 

After that, Hoseok's father voice's echoed in his head, _"Humans will always be your worst ennemies son, remember that."_ and something switched inside of him.  
Everything went fast. A first bullet was shot, it was Jooheon, Hoseok noticed, and then everyone ran to protect themselves as bullets were now flying through the rain. Hyungwon grabbed Changkyun by the arm to hide him in the safest place, the younger couldn't fight because of his condition, it was a tricky situation.  
Hoseok managed to hide behind a car and tried to spot the ennemies through the lense of his rifle... The knot in his stomach was back, but his determination to stay alive was stronger, so he started to shoot every member of the other group he could see, trying to protect his friends. _His friends._  
Hoseok frooze at the thought... These people, were his friends.  
That's why he didn't hesitated to stand up and run over Jooheon when he saw him stumble on his feet after getting hit by the baseball bat of one of their ennemies, blood dripping from his lips and nose. Hoseok made his way towards them, but he had difficulties to aim the man attacking Jooheon without being sure to not hurt the latter.. He waited for the other to lift his baseball bat at Jooheon and, in a span of seconds, shoot him in the head, the body dropping limp on the concrete next to Jooheon who shat Hoseok a scared look. It took him a bunch of seconds before coming back to his senses, so Hoseok knelt down next to him, handing him the baseball bat. 

"You okay ?" he asked as he rested a hand on Jooheon's shoulder.  
"Y-Yeah.." the other nodded nervously, getting back on his feet "I can't find Changkyun, I saw him with Hyungwon but.. "  
"He's probably hiding somewhere." Hoseok tried, but he was himself concerned about the younger. "We have to find a way to get out of here, with all that noise it's a matter of time before the deads starts to come here..." 

Jooheon sighed, and Hoseok could see the other man's hands shaking. He was about to say something when a high pitched scream echoed in the street, it was a girl voice.  
Hoseok was the first one to see who it was and felt like his legs were giving up when he saw Seola trying to escape a man, crawling on the concrete floor... She was obviously injured because she failed many times to get on her feet, and the man behind her... Was like a demon, taking his time, pleasured by the sight of his pray trying desperatly to escape, it was sick. The scene lasted maybe a few seconds, however, because neither Jooheon or Hoseok had the time to react when the man executed Seola, her body collapsing on the floor as a bloody hole was now formed at the back of her head, blood gruesomly dripping from her black hair down to the floor, forming a disgusting puddle of blood and brain chunks. Hoseok was just a miserable spectator, as Kihyun came into his eye line, a devasted expression on his face. He heard Kihyun screaming as he jumped on the man with his dagger in hand, stabbing him countless number of time, aiming for the man's chest, head, and abdomen... Blood splashing on his beautiful face and clothes, he was lost in a terrifying fury.  
Jooheon ran towards him, followed by Hoseok who was covering him.

"Kihyun !! Kihyun stop he's dead now !! " Jooheon yelled, grabbing Kihyun's hand as he was about to stab the dead man under him once again. "He's dead, we have to go now." Jooheon insisted, his grip firm around the other's wrist. Kihyun looked confused for a moment, blinking before getting up, wiping a mix of rain and blood off his face with the sleeve of his jacket. He got startled when Hoseok started to use his rifle again, looking at where the other was aiming.

"Fuck it..." he cursed as he saw a crowd of deads coming their way.  
"We have to retreat, go find the others, I'll try to give you guys some time." Hoseok said seriously, not looking at the two others. Kihyun had like a sensation of "déjà vu" and shook his head, tucking his dagger into his belt before taking his gun, standing next to Hoseok.  
"I stay with you, stop playing the hero. Jooheon, try to find the others, tell them to retreat, try to find a place to hide, we'll find a way to meet you guys later." Kihyun said dryly, sending a dark look to Jooheon when the latter seemed to hesitate. When Jooheon finally accepted to leave them, Hoseok took a quick look at Kihyun and noticed a wet, red patch on the right side of his abdomen.  
"You're injured." he stated and Kihyun groaned.  
"I'm fine. That's not what's important now" Kihyun answered.

As they were both trying to get rid of the most deads they could, Hoseok frowned... It wasn't important for Kihyun, but for Hoseok, it was.

\--------------------------------------------------------- • -------------------------------------------------------------  
After maybe twenty minutes Kihyun and Hoseok managed to find the rest of the group. The other group had obviously retreated first when they saw the deads coming. Kihyun was leaning on Hoseok, pressing a hand on his injury.. They spotted Minhyuk first, his blond hair ridiculously tainted red because of the blood. The one they spotted next was Changkyun, and Hoseok instantly knew that something was wrong, his heart sank when they finally reached the group. Changkyun was sitting on the floor, pressing a hand on his shoulder with a weak smile on his lips as he spotted Kihyun. 

"Kyun..." Kihyun started with hesitation " You... You're okay ? "  
Everyone shared a look and Hoseok found Luda's eyes. She was crying, silently, but she definitely was crying.. _" No..."_ Hoseok thought _"Not that.."_  
"Hyung.. Look I... I am sorry.." Changkyun breathed " I... I won't be able to stay.."  
"What are you talking about" Kihyun blurted out, kneeling in front of his brother, concern evident in his eyes and voice.

Changkyun hesitated, before putting his hand off his shoulder, revealing a bloody bite mark.  
Minhyuk dropped his head, looking at the floor and Luda just started to sob loudly, letting Jooheon taking her in his arms.  
Hoseok remained silent, looking at Kihyun who was just watching the bite mark on his brother's shoulder.

"I... Was with Hyungwon hyung and we tried to escape.. And.. That.. Thing just came out of nowhere and... Hyung killed it but.. I.. I got bitten... I.. " Changkyun tried to speak but tears were falling down his cheeks, his hands shaking in little spasms. Kihyun reached for one of his brother's hands, holding it in both of his. He was unable to speak, he was just lost, it happened because he didn't stayed with him, it was because he decided to check to researches center, it was his fault.

"Hyung.. I... I don't want to be a monster.. I.. I don't want to become one of that things... Do you remember the promise we made when... When everything started ?..." Changkyun sobbed, obviously fighting against the pain, but Kihyun shook his head violently, a chocked sob escaping his lips.  
"No Kyun I.. I can't do that I.. Don't ask me to do that.. We... I'm going to go inside the researches center now and I'll get back with the cure just... Just wait a litt-..."  
"HYUNG !" Changkyun cried out, cutting Kihyun's words "Please..... Don't... Don't do that it... It hurts already a lot I.. Please..."  
At this point everyone was crying.. Changkyun was shaken by more spasms as the time passed but Kihyun kept on shaking his head and he suddenly got up, hysterically passing his hands through his hair.  
"There must be a way... It can't be like that... It can't be real... " 

It's when Minhyuk sighed lightly and knelt down next to Changkyun, his gun in hands.

"You know that he can't do it..." Minhyuk murmured and Changkyun nodded sadly, reaching for Minhyuk's free hand.  
"You... And.. Hoseok hyung would.. Take care of him right ? I... Don't want him to.. To mourn me too much he... Had to.. Find that cure... " Changkyun tried to speak but it was more and more difficult for him, the infection taking it's place in his system.  
"Of course... Of course we will Kyun... " Minhyuk answered as he tried to stay calm and comforting.  
Changkyun looked up at Luda and his face twisted in both pain and sorrow.. "Take care of her.. Too.."  
Minhyuk nodded one last time, silently making the promise, and Changkyun managed to smile at him, one last time. Minhyuk then lifted his gun at Changkyun's forehead and took the security off before closing his eyes.. He breathed a "I'm sorry" before pulling the trigger. 

The sound of the gunshot echoed in the empty street, followed by a scream of agony. 

Hoseok didn't even know when he started crying too, was it even Minhyuk pulled the trigger and didn't moved after that, or was it when he got a glimpse of Kihyun's face as he turned around to look at Changkyun.  
Kihyun froze for what seemed like a minute, his eyes wandering between Changkyun and Minhyuk, and then something shifted. Kihyun just walked towards Minhyuk and kicked him in the face, throwing him on the ground. Hoseok heard sounds of despair and protest as Kihyun started to punch Minhyuk desperately.

"Why have you done that ?!!! Why !! WHY ! I COULD'VE SAVED HIM !" Kihyun cried out as he kept on throwing punches at Minhyuk who did his best to protect himself. 

Hoseok couldn't handle it anymore and reached for Kihyun, using his strenght to get the younger off Minhyuk. He made Kihyun stay on his feet before blocking him in his arms in a tight hug.

"Stop. Stop that Kihyun. Just stop..." Hoseok said softly, his voice shaking as he tried to stop crying "You know you that it was the only thing to do... So just stop.. It's over now."  
He could feel Kihyun shake in his arms, he didn't know if it was of anger or of despair... It was probably both, because soon Kihyun started to cry uncontrollably, gripping Hoseok's shirt in his hands. Hoseok let him, glancing at Minhyuk who was just sitting on the concrete, Hyungwon helping him to stop his nose bleeding.  
The pain was too strong for Kihyun to handle and Hoseok yelped when the latter passed out in his arms, exhausted and weakened by his injury.

"We... Have to find somewhere to stay.. It's getting darker.." Jooheon said, getting everyone's attention.  
They all nodded and Luda gripped Jooheon's sleeve, trying her best to contain her tears.  
"Can we... burry him and Seola somewhere... I don't want to just leave them there.."  
Jooheon had to close his eyes, refraining his urge to cry the best he can before nodding.  
"Of course... "

\------------------------------------------------------------ • ---------------------------------------------------------

They burried Changkyun and Seola in a little park near the center, under the biggest three, and they gave Hyungwon the time to mourn his late cousin... Kihyun was still unconscious and was carried on Hoseok's back. They found an abandoned restaurant where they could spend the night with an apartment upstairs. The group stayed in the dining room of the restaurant while Hoseok got upstairs with Kihyun, letting him rest on the dusty couch of the living room. He treated his and Kihyun's injuries, gathering all the blankets he could find to share it with the others, they were all shivering, soaked wet as the rain was still pouring outside.  
Kihyun regained consciousness a few hours later and Hoseok was still next to the couch, awake, his gaze lost somewhere on the flour. All the memories of Changkyun present in his mind... Without him Hoseok wouldn't be there today.. He glanced up at Kihyun when the other groaned because of the pain shooting through his right side. 

"Hey don't move too much.." Hoseok said softly, putting a hand on Kihyun's chest to stop him.

Kihyun just looked at Hoseok and the latter felt his heart shattering into pieces as tears started to pour down Kihyun's eyes again. Hoseok didn't know what to do, he didn't know how to make Kihyun feel even a little bit better... So the only thing he did was helping Kihyun to sat carefully on the couch before sitting next to him. Kihyun immediately curled himself in Hoseok's arms as the other was hugging him protectively, rubbing a hand smoothly on Kihyun's back.  
They stayed like that for a long moment, Kihyun crying and Hoseok doing his best to comfort him.. Long was gone the cold and bossy Kihyun, he was broken, vulnerable, lost... He needed time, and Hoseok was ready to give him all the time he needed. 

"I'm gonna kill them all.." Kihyun chocked out, wiping his tears before looking up at Hoseok with a determined look " I'm gonna make them pay." and Hoseok just nodded at him, running a hand into Kihyun's dark, messy locks.  
"We're all gonna make them pay Kihyun. You're not alone." Hoseok murmured.

Kihyun nodded lightly, looking silently into Hoseok's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, before his gaze dropped to Hoseok's plump lips just to look up at Hoseok's eyes again. The older noticed it and felt his heart pound heavily in his chest. They looked at each other again, in a silent conversation.. A silent question, and a silent answer, before Hoseok carefully leaned over Kihyun, close enough to feel the other breathing. Kihyun just closed his eyes before sliding his hands against Hoseok's nape, sealing their lips into a soft kiss.  
Hoseok couldn't ignore how soft Kihyun's lips felt against his, the salty taste of their kiss caused by the tears that have been shed by both of them.. He couldn't ignore either, how his lips moved in a soft harmony with Kihyun's, and the light caress of Kihyun's hand on his nape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first thing first : I'M SORRY.  
> Y'all can hate me I can perfectly understand because I currently HATE MYSELF,,,,, I'm so so sorry ;;  
> It was really hard for me to write that chapter :')  
> I promise it'll be a bit less angsty in the future,,, please don't hate me too much,,,


	6. Desperate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone ! I'm sorry for the time it took me to update that fic... Life sucks and I didn't really had the time to write until recently.  
> But here it is, the chapter 6 !  
> Here's a few songs you could listen too while reading :  
> The Weeknd - Dark Times  
> Sophie Lowe - Trust  
> Miranda Glory - Take  
> The Neighbourhood - Afraid
> 
> Enjoy !

Kihyun felt like he couldn't breathe without Hoseok's lips on his, moving and dancing delightfully against him. Kihyun felt like he would fall into pieces without Hoseok's strong arms holding him close, so close, he was his safety belt.

It was a chaste and soft kiss at first, then Hoseok carefully ran his tongue over Kihyun's bottom lip to ask for permission, permission he gave him without thinking, parting his lips slightly, a small sigh escaping his mouth as he felt Hoseok's tongue swirling against his, exploring every corner of his mouth. Hoseok was still so careful, running a hand on Kihyun's right cheek to wipe off the tears that were starting to dry. The air was starting to feel hot around them, and Kihyun shifted to straddle Hoseok's lap, resting his hands on his shoulders while the others were now on his hips, holding him. Moving made Kihyun whine a little because of his injury, pain shooting through his right side and Hoseok broke the kiss, opening his eyes to look at him with worry, panting, lips red and swollen from the kissing.

Hoseok's hand left the younger's hip to cup his face, their faces still mere centimetres away from each other, thumb moving in a smooth circles, he could feel Kihyun's breath fanning on his lips, hot and unsteady. A beautiful pink was colouring the younger's cheek as he was leaning into Hoseok's touch.

"You should rest..." Hoseok breathed against his lips and Kihyun whined again but this time of frustration.

He didn't wanted to sleep or rest, he just wanted to forget everything. Changkyun was gone and he was blaming himself for that, because he was careless and didn't stay with him when the younger needed him the most. Kihyun failed and he was desperate to forget the pain that was still shooting in his chest. But Hoseok was holding him, giving him so much attention that he felt overwhelmed, he was breaking the walls Kihyun had built during the past few years, slowly but surely.

Hoseok noticed Kihyun's reaction and frowned slightly, using the hand who was resting on the younger's cheek to lift his face, locking eyes with him. Hoseok then placed a soft kiss on his lips again, before moving for his jaw and neck, still so soft and warm, and the pain in Kihyun's chest was fading a little, so he closed his eyes again, enjoying Hoseok's warm lips on his shivering skin.

Hoseok continued to place little kisses along the line of Kihyun's jaw, stopping right under his earlobe, and as much as he wanted more, as much as he wanted to touch more of Kihyun's golden skin, Hoseok thought that it wasn't the moment and let his forehead rest in the crook of the younger's neck, inhaling the boy's scent as Kihyun wrapped his arms around his shoulders to be as close as possible.

"You need to rest Kihyun... You really need to, you're injured." Hoseok tried again but Kihyun shook his head and sighed, exasperation clear on his face.

"Hell if I care that I'm injured Hoseok, we all might die tomorrow anyway. " his voice was rough from crying so much.

He let out another shaky breath and Hoseok was facing him again, so close that Hoseok could see that fire in Kihyun's eyes, that dormant fury, the despair, and how bad Kihyun was trying to ignore everything, to hide behind those walls. The air was tense and hot once again as Kihyun brushed his lips against Hoseok's, eyes hooded as he kept the eye contact, and Hoseok’s heart rate was speeding up, heat flowing to his cheeks and lower parts of his body.

"I regret so many things Hyung, I've made so many mistakes already... I don't fucking care about being hurt, I don't want to regret anything anymore... "

Hoseok remained silent, only looking at Kihyun as he was deep in thoughts, but Kihyun was here, body pressed against his, those beautiful lips brushing against his own... And he was right, they could die tomorrow...  
Hoseok remembered all these nights where Kihyun had waited for Hoseok to fall asleep to sneak next to him, thinking that he wouldn't notice. Hoseok was fascinated by how strong yet so fragile the younger was.

"I don't want to die and feel like I missed something again Hoseok. Don't make me have more regrets." Kihyun added again, his hazelnut eyes boring right into Hoseok's soul.

It maybe lasted two seconds before Hoseok leaned forward and closed to gap between their lips. It wasn't chaste anymore, but passionate and desperate, both of them moaning in each other's mouths. Kihyun's hands reached for Hoseok's nape and grabbed the others hair between his small fingers, tugging at the surprisingly soft strands of hair.

Kihyun was like a wild animal that Hoseok was trying to control, a fire to contain, hands sliding under his shirt to feel the soft skin, carefully avoiding the area where Kihyun was injured. They kissed for what seemed an eternity, biting their lips with force, tongues fighting for dominance.

Hoseok let go of Kihyun's lips, earning a sigh of frustration from the younger and Hoseok couldn't help but think that Kihyun was beautiful, lips red and swollen, a bright pink colouring his cheeks, brows furrowed in anticipation, breathing heavily as he was straddling his lap.

Hoseok tightened his grip on Kihyun's hips before lying the other on the couch, making sure that the boy was comfortable before settling between his legs. He wasted no time to take both of their shirts off before leaning down to kiss Kihyun's neck again, biting into the soft flesh and leaving bright purple marks down his neck and throat before attacking Kihyun's prominent collarbones.Under him the younger was a moaning mess, body overreacting to every of Hoseok's touch.

He continued his ministrations, going down Kihyun's chest, sucking on one of the pink and hardening nipple which made Kihyun's body jolts a little, and Hoseok could feel the younger's hardening member brushing against his, the feeling making him groan against Kihyun's skin.

Hoseok went down again, mouthing at Kihyun's defined abs, licking over his belly button, until he reached the waistband of his pants, taking his sweet time to tease the younger a little.

"Fucksake Hoseok..." Kihyun breathed, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

Hoseok smirked, looking up at Kihyun before sitting on his knees to undo and take Kihyun's pants off, leaving him in just his boxers, his erection prominent under the fabric.

Kihyun propped up on his elbows, extending one of his hands to reach for Hoseok's nape to kiss him fiercely, groaning loudly when Hoseok started to palm at his erection on top of the thin fabric of his boxer, getting it to full hardness. The older quickly slipped his hand in Kihyun's boxer and the latter cried out at the contact of Hoseok's rough palm against his sensitive member, nails digging into the soft flesh of Hoseok's shoulder, earning him a low groan.

Hoseok started to stroke him at a slow, agonising pace, and Kihyun felt like he couldn't breathe, air stuck in his throat at the lost sensation of pleasure. The younger's lips made their way up Hoseok's neck, licking and biting at that pale and tempting skin, sucking on the man's earlobe and kissing behind his ear. It seemed to have its effect on Hoseok, who started to speed up his pace, digging his thumb into the slit. Kihyun rocked into Hoseok's hand, hoarse moan leaving his parted lips, just in Hoseok's ear.

"Just stop the teasing already." he groaned in the older's ear, hips moving on their own, eager for more.

Hoseok was losing his mind at the sight of Kihyun being so demanding, so impatient, and somehow he couldn't help but obey at the younger. He stopped his ministrations, taking off Kihyun's underwear, leaving the younger fully naked under him.

His own erection was starting to be awful painful, still tucked into his pants, but the only thing he could think of was pleasing the man under him, so Hoseok slowly went down Kihyun's torso again, tracing every lines of his body with his tongue, down to his navel. He placed mouth opened kiss on the thin skin of Kihyun's hips, going down to his thighs. Hoseok wanted to worship Kihyun's beautiful body, every inches of his bare skin deserved his full attention.

Hoseok's mouthed at Kihyun's thighs before getting closer to his shaft, his hot breath hitting the sensitive skin of his erection. He first gave few licks, tongue flat against Kihyun's length, licking over the shaft up to the tip. Kihyun hissed at the contact, shutting his eyes close as he was gripping the dusty fabric of the couch in his hands. It felt amazing.

Hoseok then started to suck at the tip, tongue digging into the slit, the taste of precum already spreading into his mouth. He didn't waited too long before going down Kihyun's shaft, building up a steady rhythm, head bobbing up and down.

The feeling was a bit overwhelming for Kihyun who needed a huge amount of control to not come into Hoseok's mouth as soon as the other wrapped his plump lips on his erection, his right hand grabbing Hoseok's hair. Hoseok's mouth was like heaven, warm and inviting, tongue swirling and working mercilessly. At some point Kihyun hips bucked up and Hoseok hummed, sending vibrations down Kihyun's shaft, making the other moan softly before placing his hands on Kihyun's hips to press them onto the couch.

It has been such a long time since Kihyun felt any kind of pleasure.. His body reacting like if it was the first time, so much that he soon felt close. His hands grabbed Hoseok's hair a little more tightly.

"Hoseok... I'm c-close.." he managed to breathe out and Hoseok sloppily let go of his erection, lips red and slick with saliva.

Kihyun groaned when the warmth of Hoseok’s mouth disappeared but was soon distracted as the said mouth was back on his.

Without thinking Kihyun's hands were on Hoseok's waistband and started to hastily undo the button and the zip of his pants. Hoseok pressed a last kiss on the other's boy lips, eyes dark with desire but his expression always so caring. His right hand rested on Kihyun's cheek, slowly stroking it like if he was in a trance.

"Are you sure about this?" he said, his hand moving to Kihyun's forehead to move a few soft strands of dark hair from it, and Kihyun nodded, hands resting on Hoseok's navel.

Hoseok took off his pants and underwear, throwing them on the floor before going back between Kihyun's legs, erection twitching at the sight of the younger licking his lips. Hoseok went back to kiss Kihyun, drunk with the feeling of their lips moving in a perfect harmony. A low moan escaped his mouth as he felt Kihyun's hand working on his length, smearing precum with every stroke. Hoseok then brought his fingers to Kihyun lips and a few years ago he would have complained about how unsanitary it was... But he had seen worse, and having lube was the last of his problem during a zombie apocalypse.

Kihyun took Hoseok's fingers in his mouth, sucking on it slowly and teasingly, not breaking the eye contact with the other. Hoseok felt lightheaded again, mesmerized by Kihyun's handsomeness.  
When his fingers were coated with enough saliva, Hoseok removed them from Kihyun's mouth and placed them at the latter's entrance, giving a little peck on Kihyun's lips.

"Stop me if you're not feeling well."

Kihyun nodded and closed his eyes, hissing as Hoseok pushed a first digit in slowly, hands gripping the couch and Hoseok's shoulder, leaving crescent moon marks. It was uncomfortable, painful, but Hoseok took his time, using his other hand to stroke Kihyun’s erection gently, distracting him from the pain. After a few minutes Hoseok added a second finger and Kihyun let out a small cry at the intrusion, Hoseok still trying his best to distract him, kissing his stomach up to his neck, and Kihyun swore he wanted Hoseok's named tattooed on his skin.

The third finger was the most painful and it took more time for Hoseok to relax the younger's muscles, curling his finger gently, going at a slow and steady pace. It's only when he noticed the change in the noises Kihyun was making that he started to go a little faster, a little deeper, until Kihyun was a panting mess under him, letting out a cry and back arching when Hoseok managed to find his sweet spot. Kihyun felt close to climax again and grabbed Hoseok's wrist as the other was still stroking him.

"I'm good… There's a condom in the right back pocket of my jeans." Kihyun said, voice higher than before, and Hoseok sent him a questioning look but didn't thought any further before pulling back to find Kihyun's pants on the floor, taking the condom from the back pocket and going back to the couch.

He didn't know if it was still good to use but it was better that nothing, so he opened the package and rolled the condom on his shaft, giving it a few tug, using his saliva to make it less painful. Hoseok lined his erection in front of Kihyun's hole, giving him a last look before entering him slowly.

"Ah, shit" Kihyun moaned, eyes fluttering closed, he felt so full already and Hoseok had barely entered him. Hoseok groaned at Kihyun's tightness around him, his hands holding the younger's hips, still careful of Kihyun's injuries.

When Hoseok was halfway in, he started to pull back slowly before moving in again, building a slow pace, giving Kihyun time to adapt. The other's face was stunning, brows furrowed in a blissful expression, lips parted, small drops of sweat going down his forehead and a red colour on his cheeks and neck.

Slowly Kihyun started to relax, allowing Hoseok to go further in at every thrust, and Hoseok let go of the other's hips to lie down, hands on each sides of Kihyun's head. The younger wrapped his arms around Hoseok's broad shoulders, sliding them down his back to bring him closer, always closer.

Soon enough Hoseok was thrusting faster, the tip of his erection brushing against Kihyun's prostate, making the other moan and pant a little louder every time. Passion was dripping from every cell of their bodies, Kihyun's nails digging into the skin of Hoseok's back. They kissed messily, panting in each other's mouths, sweet nothings falling from Hoseok's lips, and Kihyun, even in a moment of pure passion and lust like that, had never felt so safe.

Hoseok's movement went to a stop, going into a seated position and helping Kihyun to sit on his lap, letting the other slide on his length again before thrusting in deeply, going back to a fast and steady pace, his hands on Kihyun's back to keep him close.  
The younger let his forehead rest on Hoseok's shoulder, hands flat against the other's torso. He started to roll his hips in harmony with Hoseok's thrust, and cried out when Hoseok brushed his sweet spot again, not letting it go.The only sounds in the room were the sounds of skin on skin, heavy pants and moans, both of their names slipping out of their mouths every now and then.

When Kihyun faced Hoseok again, he was staring at him through hooded lids, he was so close that Hoseok could see every little details on his face... The beautiful mole at the corner of his lips, on his forehead, his straight nose and pouty lips. Kihyun was the reason why Hoseok felt like he was living again, he was ready to give everything to the other man.

Hoseok's thrusts started to be a little more messy and unsteady as he was getting closer to his release. He used his right hands to stroke Kihyun's neglected erection and the other came a few moments later, a hoarse and throaty moan falling from his lips as he came in Hoseok's hand and on his stomach, muscles clenching around Hoseok.

Hoseok came almost at the same time, the feeling of Kihyun clenching around him bringing him to the edge before the climax hit him hard, cumming into the condom, giving a few more thrusts to ride his orgasm.  
Kihyun was heavy in his arms, panting heavily, forehead against his and eyes closed. They took their time to go back to reality, Hoseok caressing Kihyun's soft cheek before helping the other the get off his lap, lying on the couch.

The older then took off the condom and threw it in what used to be a trash can before he fumbled down the abandoned apartment in order to find something to clean them up. He went back to the living room with two damp towels and found Kihyun already asleep on the couch. He cleaned him up carefully, wiping off the dried semen on his stomach and the thin layer of sweat covering his body. He did the same with himself before putting his and Kihyun's underwear back on. He then sat on the couch, letting Kihyun's legs rest on his lap, covering them both with the blankets. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was already up when Hoseok woke up, groaning at the feeling of someone shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes lazily to find Minhyuk in front of him, a tired smile on the face.

"We better gather and eat something and... Talk... Before the sun is too high. Can you wake him up ?" he said softly, his voice tired and low. Hoseok nodded, rubbing off any traces of sleep from his face with his hands.

"We'll join you in ten minutes." he managed to say, and Minhyuk smiled knowingly before exiting the room again to join the rest of the group downstairs.  
Waking up Kihyun was difficult, the other obviously weakened... Hoseok felt guilty for losing the control last night because of course it wouldn't help Kihyun to heal..

"Kihyun, We need to join the others. Can you get dressed?" Hoseok said as he was running his left hand through Kihyun's hair to wake him up. The boy whined, opening his eyes with difficulty before nodding.  
"Yeah. Give me a moment." he whispered and Hoseok smiled at him before getting dressed, joining the others and giving Kihyun some time for himself.

When Kihyun joined them, Jooheon immediately asked him to show how his injuries looked like, fearing any infection, but it looked okay. Silence took its place in the room, everyone was either spacing out or munching on crackers in an attempt to get some energy. Hoseok didn't know how long it lasted until Hyungwon got on his feet, getting everyone's attention.

"I know that it's hard for everyone. What happened yesterday..." he paused, frowning a little and exhaling loudly before continuing "But I'm not going to stay here and do nothing... I lost my only family, I don't want Seola to be gone for nothing. "

"Changkyun wouldn't want us to stay here arms crossed" Luda’s small voice echoed in the room, she was looking at Kihyun with glassy eyes, trying hard to hold back her tears. "You know it.. If he... If he was here, he would probably yell at us for not moving. And Seola eonnie was my friend, she was our friend... " she got up as well, a sad smile on her beautiful face. " I want them to pay for what they've done."

Kihyun was looking at Hyungwon and Luda with a blank expression, and Hoseok patted him on the shoulder to get his attention, giving him a soft smile.

"We're all going to beat those bastards up" Jooheon suddenly said, holding Minhyuk's hand in his "We're all with you Ki."

It seemed like Kihyun was fighting an internal war, looking at each of them, stopping on Minhyuk, and then Hoseok. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Okay. But I don't want to lose anyone again so we're going to make a plan, and a plan B, they're probably in the center now so we need to find a way in and a way out if things turn bad. " Kihyun said with his usual authoritarian tone, and everyone nodded, small smiles on their faces.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They all started to work on their plans, gathering all the information they got from the radio, dividing the group into two teams to have better chances to find the right lab quickly. And with that, they checked their weapons and ammo and making sure that everyone understood the plans one last time before heading to the research center.

To Kihyun's eyes it seemed more like a suicide mission, but for once it was the others motivating him, and not the other way around.

With Jooheon's information, they managed to find a way in, close to where the lab was supposed to be. Once inside, they parted ways, Kihyun, Jooheon and Hyungwon checking the hallway on the left while Hoseok, Luda and Minhyuk were checking the one on the right. That way, if one of the team found the "14.5" lab first, either Minhyuk or Kihyun would be able to start working on the cure.

Hoseok was walking down the white hallway with Luda and Minhyuk, the only sounds being their steps and a light flickering. Rifle in hands, they were attentive to every noise and movement around them. It's Luda, who stops first, putting her index in front of her lips.

"I heard something." she whispered, turning the safety off on her gun. She pointed at a half closed door on her right and the three of them moved slowly towards it.  
Now they could heard muffled words, people talking and roaming around the lab.

"Fuck it's not that one either. Let's continue" a voice said from the inside and the little group exchanged a panicked look.

They were just in front of the door and it was too late to hide, the only thing they could do is:

"Run" Minhyuk said and the three of them started to run back from where they were coming from, hearing yells behind them almost as soon as they started to run off. Hoseok stayed behind, running back to shoot at the people now following them.

"Minhyuk go ahead, we need you in good condition to find the cure, find Kihyun and the oth--"

A sharp pain suddenly came from his left calf and his leg gave up, making him fall on the ground. He heard Luda and Minhyuk yelling but his head was buzzing and he couldn't focus for what seemed like an eternity.  
He understood what happened when he saw two impacts of bullets on his calf and he then turned his face to see the two others running back to help him but he waved at them to stop.

"No go find Kihyun and the others ! Sh-shit..I'll be fine! I'll join you later, you need to find t-the others!" It's was hard to speak, the pain omnipresent in his system.  
Minhyuk hesitated and it's Luda who ran away the first, grabbing Minhyuk by the wrist to force him to follow her.

Hoseok then tried to crawl in a lab to hide but another gunfire resonated in the hallway and he cried out in pain as another bullet lodged in his calf.

"Where do you think you're going, hmm?" a thick voice said behind him, the voice he recognised as the leader's voice.

"I can't believe y'all had the guts to come back haha. Kids are funny." he crouched next to Hoseok, lifting his chin with the barrel of his gun. " But you. You seem to know things we don't... Don't you ? "

Hoseok breathed through his nose, not planning on answering. He didn't know if he was going to make it.. If he'll be able to see Kihyun's face again. But if he could give him and the others a face to find something.. He was ready to sacrifice himself.

"If you think... That I'm going to sell my friends.. To a fucking piece of shit like you... Then.. I think you can just go fuck yourself." Hoseok spat out, grinning.  
The leader scoffed, letting go of Hoseok's chin before getting up.

"We'll see." he said coldly before smashing his gun on Hoseok's skull, making him lose consciousness.

"Take him back to where we stayed last night and make him talk. I'll continue to search with the others." the leader said as two of his man lifted Hoseok's limp body to drag him to their shelter.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Kihyun heard Minhyuk's voice and turned around to see only his best friend and Luda, he blood ran cold.

"Where's Hoseok?" he blurted out when Minhyuk stopped in front of him, panting, hands on his knees for support.

"We came face to face with a part of the other group and they... They took Hoseok away. He got shot in the leg and couldn't run away with us... He asked us to find you to continue to investigate..." it's Luda who talked, also breathless but more composed than Minhyuk was..

"No we have to find him we can't let him, we have to go ba--"

"Fucking hell, Kihyun!" Luda screamed and grabbed the boy by the collar, surprising everyone, Kihyun included. "We need to find that lab before they do because if they do find it, they have no reason to keep Hoseok alive! They have no clue of where the right lab is. So we need to find it, and as soon as we do, some of us are going to find Hoseok to bring him back."

Kihyun couldn't talk. He knew that Luda was right, but a part of him wanted to give up and run away to save Hoseok right now.

"He's smart and strong, he's going to be fine but only if we hurry. Kihyun?" Luda said again, her voice softening at the end of her words.

Kihyun looked at her again as her let go of his collar, everyone around them was silent.

"Okay..." he breathed.. "Yeah. Let's find the lab first..." he added before turning around to walk down the hallway, soon followed by the rest of the group.

"He's going to be fine." He thought to himself. "He's going to be fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you probably want to kill me again and... I'M REALLY SORRY,,,,  
> The next chapter is already written at 30% so I will probably update soon !  
> It's the first time I've ever wrote smut so I hope it was... enjoyable ? Haha  
> Thank you to @moroseok for being my amazing beta ! I love you !  
> I'll be really happy to know what you think about the story so don't forget to leave a comment !  
> You can find me on twitter : @kihosbebe


	7. Trust me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone ! Here's the next chapter ! Warning for violence and a bit of gore too..  
> Enjoy !

When Hoseok opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was how sore his body was. Dried blood sticking to his hair and forehead. The pain in his right leg made him wince and he tried to move, and his hands were tied behind his back as well as his feet. He was feeling weak and failed multiple times at getting up, until someone approached him. He couldn't see who it was from his perspective, and he heard the person calling someone before leaving again. He was obviously in what was before an office, connected to a lab.

Soon, the leader of the group appeared in front of Hoseok, crouching next to him with a wicked smile. "Hi there sleeping beauty, mind if we talk a little together ?" Hoseok only groaned in response.

"Okay I'll ask nicely the first time. But I can't promise I'll be nice afterwards. Where's the cure ? Which lab ?" the leader said with a dark voice but Hoseok remained silent, even if it was going to lead him to his end, if he was able to give Kihyun and the others a little more of time he was ready to endure what was about to happen. The man sighed, lifting his right hand and waiting for something. Another man leaned to give him a towel and a bottle of water.

"See... Before all that shit started... That was how I made people talk, when they wouldn't answer my questions.. And until now, it always worked." The leader motioned for two of his guys to hold Hoseok on the floor before throwing the towel on his face, he then opened the bottle to spill the content on the towel.

Hoseok tried to escape but it was impossible for him to move away, and soon all his airways were obstructed by water, making him choke. It lasted maybe a minute before the damp towel was removed from his face and Hoseok gasped loudly, allowing air to fill his lungs.He was met by the dry smile of the other man, his left brow arched.

"So, where are your little friends ? Hmm ? "  
Hoseok didn't answer for a bunch of seconds, trying to breathe again before making eyes contact with the man. "Just kill me already, I won't say anything you're wasting your time."  
The man seemed clearly annoyed by Hoseok's answer and got up on his feet, dusting his pants.  
"Don't worry about that, we will find that lab sooner or later, and once we find it, you'll be able to stay hello to the deads that are locked in that maze." he paused before looking at his men "Continue until he talks. But don't kill him yet. We might need him later."

The man sent a last dark look at Hoseok before leaving the room, and the towel dropped on his face once again.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Saying that the center was a maze was an understatement, without a detailed plan of the building all the hallways looked the same. And it's after maybe two hours that Jooheon suddenly yelped and started to run towards a door.

"Jooheon be careful !" Minhyuk said, running after him, scared of what could happen after the incident with Hoseok..  
"It's here !" the younger said, a bright smile on his smile "Lab 5.14 ! It's that one !"

Everyone started to run towards the door and Kihyun looked at it, letting out a shaky breathe. The other pointed their weapons at the door as Kihyun placed his hand on the door knob, counting to three before opening it. They were welcomed by a deadly silence and Jooheon entered the room first, followed by Hyungwon and Minhyuk. They inspected the place carefully and Minhyuk motioned to Kihyun and Luda to enter.

"It's safe, no dead and no living." Jooheon said, putting his rifle on the floor.

Minhyuk immediately started to read through the notes that were still on the desk in the midle of the room and Kihyun observed the remaining test tubes displayed in the lab.  
"Amazing.." Minhyuk breathed, getting Kihyun's attention. "They used to principle of vaccination. They injected the plague virus to 10 people... They Let them stay in a room with a group of deads but they ignored them... They gave those people the cure after a few hours to a day and the deads were still ignoring them... They don't take interest in people suffering from diseases.. Amazing"

"So basically we need to be sick from a deadly but not incurable disease to be sort of... Immune ?" Hyungwon said sceptically and Kihyun who was now next to Minhyuk nodded.

"Yeah. That's the point. It's like the predators. They don't eat the meat from sick preys." They all hummed in understatement and Minhyuk exchanged a knowing look with Kihyun.

"Okay now that we've found the lab we need to get Hoseok out of here." Kihyun said, taking his rifle, ready to leave again.  
"Hyung it's almost night time and the building his stuffed with deads, we don't even know where they took him." Jooheon said with a pained look and Kihyun sighed loudly, his nerves were about to snap.

"Minhyuk and Luda can show us the way they came from and we will start searching from here" the older answer with a dry tone, but Minhyuk shook his head, holding Kihyun by the shoulder.  
"I won't investigate that building at night without even knowing where I'm going. We're all staying here for the night and try to find him tomorrow morning. Plus, we need to stay here, Hyungwon, Jooheon and Luda will go, you're not going anywhere." The moments where Minhyuk was so serious were rare and the boy looked suddenly intimidating but Kihyun was far from being scared by his best friend and scoffed.

"Yeah, and we just have to pray they don't kill him right ?" Kihyun answered bitterly, shaking Minhyuk's hand off his shoulder. "Do you know how many times he saved us already ?! Without him we wouldn't even be here and both Jooheon and me would be dead by now ! We can't ju-"

"I fucking know Kihyun !" Minhyuk snapped "I know all these things, everyone here is aware of that, but right now we can't go, you need to get your shit together Kihyun, I know how much he's important to you, I saw it since day one, but right now the priority is to find the cure, we're here for that, and I don't think he wants us to play heroes at night time in a place we don't know. So you're going to put that rifle down, put on some gloves and start working on that cure with me or I'll work alone and tie you on a chair so you don't stupidly kill yourself."

A heavy silence took place in the lab, tension thick between the two men. Kihyun's heart was betting too fast and he felt like yelling and destroying everything. Minhyuk won't let him go anyway.  
Kihyun stayed silent when he let his rifle on the floor next to the desk before grabbing a pair of latex gloves in a box and a mask. Minhyuk sighed, obviously relived and smiled to Jooheon, nodding his head gently.

"Ok now, everyone in the office next to the lab, only Kihyun and me are allowed here. Everyone grab a mask before going out in case something happens. Go take some rest." Minhyuk said calmly and the three other went to the office who was linked to the lab by a glass door. Kihyun and Minhyuk started to work together in silence, concentrated on their work.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Hoseok didn't know how much time passed before someone ran into the office, panting and saying inaudible things.. Maybe an hour, two hours ? He wouldn't be able to tell, his mind blank and body too tired to register what was happening around him anymore. He couldn't tell how many time he passed out either, only regaining consciousness to lose it again because of what was done to him. He couldn't even feel the pain anymore. If they started by fake drowning him, they quickly became more physical when they noticed that Hoseok won't give them any answers.

They broke one of his wrist maybe, at least he knew that he couldn't feel his left hand anymore, one of his eyes was swollen and partially closed, blood was dripping from his lips and breathing was a bit more difficult every time he inhaled. His leg had stopped bleeding but the throbbing pain was still there.  
People around him were moving and suddenly two guys lifted him unceremoniously to drag him behind them, making Hoseok groan in pain, his whole body tensing and breath so short that he felt lightheaded for a moment.  
In his clouded mind he made the conclusion that the group had found where Kihyun and others were and he felt panic rising in his throat. As if to confirm his thoughts, the leader asked for the little group to stop and crouched in front of Hoseok who was still dragged by the two men.

"See, I told you we will find your little friends. And since I'm a really kind-hearted man I'll let you perish with them." his wicked smile was still plastered on his face as his got the his feet, motioning to everyone to keep walking. Hoseok's heartbeat sped up as the words made their way to his brain, an uneasy feeling soon getting into something unbearable, breathing was hard and his vision started to blurry.. _"No... Not now"_ he thought as he felt even more dizzy.. _"I need to help them..."_ his vision totally blacked out and all his muscles relaxed.. _"Kihyun..."_

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Minhyuk heard the footsteps first and murmured Kihyun's name under his mask, getting the other attention. Both of them stopped what they were doing and Minhyuk went to wake up to other who were sleeping in the next room while Kihyun took his gloves off and reached out for in rifle before getting close to the door silently.

"You kids better get out of here if you want to see your friend while he's still breathing." a voice said in the hallway and Kihyun's blood ran cold, he looked over at the others who were new in the lab with him. Minhyuk shook his head. "Kihyun no.." he just had the time to breathe before Kihyun got out in the hallway, rifle pointed at the group now a few meters away from him. He was soon joined by the rest of the group, rifle and guns up.

"Where is he." Kihyun's voice echoed coldly against the walls and he perceived the learder's smile as the was making sign of the head for two of his men to move forward. They were dragging Hoseok's body behind them and Kihyun tightened his grip on his weapon, jaw clenching.

"You have a really loyal friend here. I tried to make him talk in all the way I knew but he never gave us the location of the right lab. We had to find it by ourselves haha. But he made me pretty upset you know." the two men threw Hoseok's body in front of them and Kihyun was now able to take a good look at the man. His skin was awfully pale, patch of dried blood here and there, Kihyun couldn't even tell if the other was still breathing from where he was standing and his hands started to shake at the thought of... Hoseok being dead.

"So what now ?" Minhyuk felt that Kihyun was losing the control of the situation and decided to step in, voice calm but firm.  
"Now ? Well, you give us the cure, and we might consider not killing him... " the man said and Kihyun frowned, moving a step forward with his rifle aimed at the leader, exhaling shakily.  
At Kihyun's movement the leader aimed his gun at Hoseok's body and Minhyuk extended his arm in front of Kihyun to stop him.

"Okay." Minhyuk said loudly and he ignored the look Kihyun gave him. "Let me go inside the lab to take it." he continued, putting his rifle on the floor before lifting his hands.  
If the leader seemed sceptical at first, he motioned for Minhyuk to go into the lab. The blond breathed a "Trust me" to Kihyun before heading into the lab.

A few moments later he was back with a syringe in hand. He made eyes contact with Hyungwon who was the closest the door of the lab and carefully handed him something before walking slowly towards the other group. When he was next to Hoseok, he extended his hand towards the leader, glancing nervously at Hoseok's body next to him.

"That's all the scientist managed to do before dying. It would be sufficient for your group." the man looked at Minhyuk intensely before taking the syringe in his hand.

As soon as the syringe was in the other's hand, the fire alarm ran off and Minhyuk quickly crouched to slide one of Hoseok's arm around his shoulder before running towards his friends. Most of the little group were already inside the lab, and Hyungwon helped Minhyuk to lift Hoseok. The other group were surprised and disoriented by the loud ringing of the fire alarm and soon the deads were sprinting into the hallway.  
Once Minhyuk, Hyungwon and Hoseok were inside, Jooheon and Luda locked the glass door of the lab and Kihyun looked as the other group were desperately trying to inject themselves what was in the syringe.  
"It was water.." Minhyuk panted, trying to catch his breath. "I filed the syringe with water... And I asked Hyungwon to set the fire alarm on.."

Kihyun didn't moved and waited for the first man to be killed, smiling. Minhyuk was a genius. The others started to run in confusion and the leader stopped in front of the glass door, knocking heavily on it, panic obvious in his eyes.

"Let me in !!!" he shouted "Let me in please !!" but Kihyun stayed still, making eyes contact with the other man.  
"That's what you get for touching what's mine." he said, his voice terrifyingly calm but just loud enough for the other man to hear through the door. "You took my brother away, the only family I had left, as well as one of my friend.. And you dared to make the only person who doesn't make me feel like an helpless fool suffer." he continued as the man behind the door was looking at him with wide eyes. "There was water in the syringe." Kihyun added and the other man shouted in despair, hands furiously trying to open the door.

Kihyun watched as the deads reached for the man, biting hungrily into his flesh, tiring apart parts of his body as he was screaming in pain and agony, blood spurting everywhere, but Kihyun never looked away, he wanted to be the last thing that man saw before dying, he wanted to see the man being terrified. Kihyun was savouring that small feeling of revenge and only broke the eyes contact when the man disappeared under the mass of dead bodies crawling on him.As he turned his back to the gruesome scene that was happening behind the door, he was met by Luda rushing from the office towards the door with papers and working sheets, Minhyuk following her with a bottle of water. The blond splashed the water on the glass door and helped Luda to make the papers stick to the surface.

"That way they won't see us..." she breathed and Kihyun nodded with a thin smile before he spotted Jooheon and Hyungwon placing Hoseok on the desk in the office. He quickly joined them and felt all the adrenalin quitting his body as he took a closer look of Hoseok... He was so pale that Kihyun thought he was dead.  
"He's still breathing." Jooheon confirmed as his right hand was resting on the other's torso before putting two finger hover his jugular. Jooheon frowned immediately and moved to find his backpack as he was the one carrying the medical supplies. "But his pulse his too weak. From what I observed he lost a lot of blood and his left wrist his broken." he lifted his gaze to look at Kihyun and sighed. "I'll try my best to make him stable but I can't promise anything Hyung..."

"Hmm" Kihyun only nodded, running his hand through Hoseok's sticky and bloody hair before going back to the lab, he took a new pair of gloves and mask, sighed before looking at Minhyuk "Let's get back to work."

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kihyun and Minhyuk worked for hours and Jooheon was trying to keep Hoseok alive at the same time, asking Hyungwon or Luda the help him multiple times.. Kihyun tried his best to stay concentred on finding the cure... They were so close to get something.. Maybe if they find that cure, maybe if they hurry... Then maybe they will be able to save Hoseok.

Hoseok survived through the night but Jooheon had to keep a eye on him because his state could deteriorate at any moment, taking shift with Hyungwon and Luda to take care of him. Minhyuk also wanted to take turns with Kihyun to work but the latter was too concentrated and scared to sleep, so he let Minhyuk take a few hours of rest and kept on working.

The blonde decided to rest when Jooheon checked on them in the early morning. The two of them didn't had that much time for themselves lately, so they decided to settle down in a corner of the lab to take a few hours of sleep together. If Minhyuk fell asleep as soon as his head rested on his backpack, Jooheon took the time to look at his lover with pure love and adoration.. Minhyuk was always bright and cheerful, but also knew how to handle tricky situations.. Jooheon couldn't imagine how tiring the past few days must have been for the blond.. He had to took his best friend's younger brother's life, saw one of his friend being taken away right in front of him... But he still found the strength to prevent Kihyun from doing something stupid and to work on that cure.

Jooheon ran a hand through Minhyuk's blonde locks of hair tenderly, smiling at how the other unconsciously leaned into his touch before he lent forward to place a soft kiss on the blonde's forehead. He slid his arms around the other's waist to keep him close, closing his eyes to get some well deserved hours of sleep.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

When Minhyuk opened his eyes he couldn't tell how much time he had slept, but Jooheon was gone and he felt agitation around him. He looked at his watch and gulped when he saw that it was already the end of the afternoon. He quickly got on his feet and saw his boyfriend moving hurriedly around Hoseok's body.. His state suddenly became alarming again and Jooheon tried his best to keep him stable with the help of Luda and Hyungwon. He got back to Kihyun who was still working on the cure, exhaustion present on his face, Minhyuk sighed.

"Ki', you should rest.. A least try to take a nap. " Minhyuk tried softly, he was more worried for his best friend than anything.

"I tried and failed." Kihyun answered absently, eyes focused on the syringe he was holding. "But I think I finally found it Hyung." he breathed and Minhyuk's eyes widened as he walked to stand next to Kihyun. "I'm ninety percents sure it will work because I followed the scientist's reasoning.. Injecting a deadly but not incurable disease... With a molecule that prevents the virus from developing.." Minhyuk nodded next to him and looked at the other room, Jooheon getting out while wiping his forehead.

"He's stable again... But I'm not gonna lie Hyung... I don't know if he'll make it through the night.. I don't have enough supplies to keep him stable for a long time.."  
Kihyun only hummed, eyes still locked on the syringe in his hands, and silence filled the room, Minhyuk sadly glanced at Jooheon and Kihyun lost deep in thoughts.

"Okay.. " Kihyun finally murmured.. "Okay.." he repeated "Hyung ?" he looked up at Minhyuk and the other nodded.  
"Yeah ?"  
"Can you got get me my bag ?" Minhyuk frowned but nodded and went to the office where Kihyun let his bag, Jooheon following him to check Hoseok's condition.  
Kihyun walked towards the door that was separating the lab and the office and waited for the both of them to be inside of the office to close the door, quickly locking it. Everyone in the office looked at the glass door and Kihyun on the other side, Minhyuk reaching for the door knob to open it.

"Kihyun what are you doing ? Unlock the door ! Kihyun ?.."  
"I'll test the cure on myself Hyung. I-.."  
"Hell no ! Unlock the door Kihyun for fucksake !"

"Let me finish." Kihyun added softly, a small smile on his lips, and Minhyuk frowned, biting the inside of his cheeks. "I was the one wanting to go here and you all followed me despite knowing the risks.. We already lost Changkyun and Seola by my fault.. Now we might lose him." he glanced at Hoseok and he felt the tears threatening him to fall again. "I'm not going to let anyone else try this when I'm not one hundred percent sure that it's going to work Hyung.. I'm not going to lose anyone again. "

"Kihyun please.." Minhyuk pleaded behind the door, knocking on it in despair.

"I know you'll find the good cure if that one don't work. You were always the smarter one..." Kihyun laughed slightly, nodding one last time. "And take care of everyone if... If it doesn't work."  
"Kihyun unlock that fucking door and stop spitting nonsense !! Please !" tears fell down Minhyuk's cheeks at that point and everyone behind the door was watching, paralysed in shock.

Kihyun smiled and his look lingered on Hoseok as he turned back, going back behind the desk of the lab and lifting the sleeve of his left arm. He looked at the syringe one last time exhaling heavily and closing his eyes before planting it in his arm. He emptied a small amount of the liquid, before putting the syringe back on the desk. Before the apocalypse, Kihyun wanted was to become a scientist to find new ways to save people and that feeling remained the same after the apparition of these things. He's not a hero, nor a fool, but just a man who still had faith and the will to give humanity a second chance. Because it was worth it.  
_"Because he is worth it."_ Kihyun thought as Hoseok's smiling face popped in his mind.

Fifteen minutes passed and Minhyuk wasn't trying to open the door anymore, he was just looking through the glass door with a pained look, Jooheon's hand resting on his shoulder.  
When Kihyun moved toward the door of the lab, taking what was probably Luda's gun in his hand, he heard everyone moving in the next room and he turned to look at them maybe for the last time. Kihyun nodded in a silent "Thank you" before he let his hand resting on the door knob, trying to suppress his fear. He was terrified. He could hear in heart beating too fast in his hears.

Finally he opened the door and stepped in the hallway, the smell of raw flesh and blood strong in the hair. He slowly closed the door behind him and looked around him. There was three deads at the end of the hallway, grunting and Kihyun gulped, biting his lips before knocking loudly on the wall next to him. The three of them turned their heads and cackled, grunted before making their way toward the origin of the noise. Kihyun had to repress his wish to run away, his survival instinct screaming at him to find a safe place, to run or to hide somewhere.  
But Kihyun stayed still, his eyes getting watery as he observed the three deads approaching him. He aimed the gun at them when they were maybe five meters away from him and waited, his heart rate was going wild and was breathing difficult.

He was ready to shoot when the dead stopped just in front of him, sniffing the air. Kihyun hands were shaking and at this point he won't even have the time to shoot before getting bitten. The strong smell of blood was now mixed with the smell putrid smell of the deads, and Kihyun's stomach twisted roughly, a wave of nausea hitting him in addition to his current terror. He thought about how Changkyun must have felt after being bitten..

_Nothing happened._

The deads passed by Kihyun without paying much attention to him and the boy felt his knees giving up, using the wall as support to stay on his feet. It took him a moment until he managed to get inside of the lab again and he heard the noises of joy coming from the others, himself couldn't hide his smile. He closed the door's lab behind him and quickly unlocked the door's office to free his friends.  
Minhyuk's arms were around him before he knew it, his best friend holding him so close that it was a little hard to breathe, but Kihyun hugged him back, even allowing himself to laugh.

"We made it" Kihyun breathed and Minhyuk laughed even louder, glowing like the sunshine he was. Everyone around them was laughing and making happy noises, even Jooheon was smiling like crazy, dimples on full display.  
Their moment of joy was disturbed when noises came from the office and Jooheon instantly ran into the room, calling for Kihyun a few seconds later. The boy let go of Minhyuk and rushed to the next room only to find Jooheon checking on Hoseok. Hoseok's eyes were slightly open and Kihyun gasped before reaching for Hoseok's hand, holding it carefully..

"Wh...What happened.." he asked, a hint of panic in his voice<  
Kihyun looked painfully at Hoseok and at how weak he was, how faint his voice sounded..  
"You're fine... We're all fine.. " Kihyun said softly and Hoseok looked at him through half closed eyes.. The older man breathed something that seemed like a "good" before closing his eyes again, his body relaxing, and Kihyun looked up at Jooheon with apprehension, but the other was smiling and simply shook his head.  
"He's still very weak.. But the fact that he regained consciousness and managed to talk is the most important.." Jooheon comforted him and Kihyun nodded again, tightening his grip on Hoseok's hands before releasing it. After that Kihyun fell asleep, exhausted by the events of the past few days, his back resting against the desk where Hoseok was lying on and Minhyuk dropped his jacket on the younger's shoulders to keep him warm.

The blonde took the responsibility to inject the cure to the rest of the group, and they all settled down in the office for the night. _Somehow, the future didn't seemed so scary anymore._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know why I make them suffer that much,,, but I hope you enjoyed reading that chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it !  
> Anyway I thought it was time to give Minhyuk his moment of glory in that chapter because he's a really important character !  
> Next chapter will reveal a bit of Hoseok's past ! Please wait for it !  
> As always, feedbacks are appreciated so dont hesitate to leave a comment ! :)  
> See you all for the next update ! We're getting close to the end !  
> You can find me on twitter : @kihosbebe


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